


Dahlias and Daffodils

by Cassodembreankia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Multiple Endings, Wow, first time I've actually written something with applicable warnings, it's kind of a love triangle if you squint, vague love triangle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-03-20 00:39:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 49,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18981628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassodembreankia/pseuds/Cassodembreankia
Summary: Aurora Aubade is a gifted healer and good friend of Noctis Lucis Caelum, and joins him on his journey to save Eos from the Starscourge while enjoying spending time with her childhood best friend, Prompto Argentum. She's also in love with Noctis' good friend, Ignis Scientia. Who she KNOWS doesn't feel the same way about her.But when a mysterious curse befalls her and she starts coughing up flower petals, this healer learns that she can save everyone but herself. And, sometimes, even THAT's a lie.(This work will feature multiple endings!)





	1. Chapter 1

“Ignis!” I shrieked. I ran into the fight, potion in hand, to help him as he fell. I pulled him up onto my lap and cracked the potion open. “Drink this. C’mon.” I tipped it into his mouth. He sipped at it weakly and coughed. Color came back to his face. He sat up and nodded.

“Thank you,” Ignis said. I pulled him to his feet. “Now get to safety. You’re a healer, not a fighter.”

I smiled. “Yes sir. And be careful. We need you.”  _ I need you,  _ I corrected silently.  _ I love you. _ But he couldn’t know that. Not yet. We were too busy.

“I will. You too.”

I nodded and dodged out of the fight. Prompto tended to hang out near the edge of the fights too, where it was easier to shoot. I fell to his side. “How we doing?” I asked him.

“We’re surviving,” he said.

“Okay, but, like, on a scale of good to bad?”

“Well… somewhere between ‘meh’ and ‘uh-oh’.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Maybe. How’s the healing supplies?”

“Supplies are getting lower, obviously, but we should still be okay as long as we end this hunt fast,” I said with a small smile.

Prompto chuckled.

“Prompto!” Noctis called. “Headshot!”

“Oh hi there—opening!” Prompto exclaimed, letting off a single shot right into the head of the giant animal we were fighting. Prompto held one hand out behind him, making sure I stayed behind him as the animal crashed to the ground. The smaller beasts were handled quickly once the big one was gone.

“Everyone okay?” Noctis asked, looking around to make sure we were all still alive and uninjured.

“Yup,” I said. “I made sure of it.”

“How would we survive without you?” Prompto teased, ruffling my hair.

“You wouldn’t,” I retorted.

Ignis smirked at us. Then his expression sobered. “We should find a haven for the night. The sun is going down and we’re too far to make it to a town before nightfall,” he said.

“Pretty sure there was one about half-a-mile that way,” Gladio said, gesturing over his shoulder with his thumb. “I’ll scout it out. You guys sit tight.”

“I’ll go with you,” Noctis offered. Ignis gave him a confused glance. Noctis shrugged. “Best for no one to go alone. Figured you took a nasty hit and Rory might wanna take another look at you. And Prompto’s better equipped to defend you both in the event of a random ambush than I am with his guns.” He and Gladio set off without another word.

I dug another potion out of my bag of healing supplies. “Shirt off, Scientia,” I ordered distractedly. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that thing’s tail whacking you right in the chest.”

Ignis scoffed, but complied, removing his blazer and shirt—and even his tank top undershirt to reveal the bruising on his chest.

“Yup. That’s what I thought,” I said. I was so tempted to just splash the potion across his chest like the mature twenty-something I was, but instead I soaked a small sponge with the potion and started dabbing it to his chest. It was moments like this I had to remember I was a professional healer and was  _ absolutely not allowed _ to ogle patients. Yes, Ignis had an incredibly athletic physique, but that did  _ not _ mean I could stare at his abs or his pecs in admiration.

Apparently Prompto could though. “Dang dude—why can’t  _ I _ look like that?” he asked jokingly.

“You can if you train harder,” Ignis remarked blandly as the bruising on his chest faded. “I wasn’t born terribly athletic. It wasn’t until I was sixteen that I began to work at my physical strength.”

“You look good for six years of training,” Prompto said.

“Prompto, you look good too,” I said. “I mean, I still have pictures of us in elementary school hanging up in my apartment.” I smiled at him while he went red.

“Oh Six,” he muttered. “I hate those things.”

“Yeah, but they’re a reminder of how  _ far _ you’ve come!” I said. “It’s definitely something to be proud of, don’t you think?”

“I guess,” Prompto said.

“Well I’m proud of you,” I commented.

“Thanks Rory,” he said.

I finished fixing up Ignis’ bruising before letting him put his shirts and blazer back on. “Thank you, Aurora. That feels much better,” Ignis said, buttoning his shirt. He clapped a hand on my shoulder.

“No problem, Iggy,” I said with a smile. He smiled back. He had the most handsome smile. It made his eyes light up and sparkle. When he let me go, I snapped myself out of my thoughts. “Your turn, Prompto.”

“Oh I’m fine,” he said. “I stayed back.”

“Not the whole time. You took a smack at the beginning. I can literally see the bruise on your left arm. If you want to hide your injuries from the  _ healer _ , Prom, I suggest you wear shirts with  _ sleeves _ ,” I said playfully. Prompto sighed and rolled his eyes, shucking off his sleeveless vest so it wouldn’t get in the way while I sponged up his bruise.

“Guess you have a point,  _ Aurora _ ,” he sighed. He only ever called me by my full first name when he was messing around.

“Dang straight I do. So if you wanna hide anything from me,  _ wear sleeves _ .”

“Sleeves are restrictive,” Prompto complained.

“Then don’t try to get out of me healing you,” I retorted.

I finished him up. We waited for Gladio and Noctis to get back. When they did, we took our camping stuff to the haven. Gladio and Ignis tended to haul the heaviest stuff—being the strongest of us—but sometimes Prompto, Noctis, and I would carry the stove together. This wasn’t one of those nights, thankfully. Gladio took the stove to the haven.

“Aurora? Would you care to assist me in cooking dinner?” Ignis asked.

I shrugged. “Sure,” I said. Gladio started pitching the tent. Noctis was handling the fire and Prompto was sifting through our supplies, taking inventory. He’d taken my bag of supplies off my shoulder to take stock of our healing stuff.

“We’re running low on potions and elixirs guys. And Phoenix Downs.”

“We wouldn’t be running low on Phoenix Downs if you would stop getting knocked out,” I teased as I took my place next to Ignis to start making dinner.

Noctis started laughing. “She’s got a point, Prompto!”

“Shut up!” Prompto complained.

“Aurora,” Ignis said, handing me a knife. “Chop the vegetables, if you would.”

“Sure thing,” I said, taking the knife. I set about chopping. Ignis had taught me how but I was still getting used to it.

“Much better, by the way. Your technique is improving,” Ignis said. I smiled at him.

“Thanks. I’m trying,” I said.

He gave me a small grin of encouragement in return. My heart fluttered.

I bit my lower lip and went back to chopping. I needed to concentrate on the  _ knife blade _ instead of my crush so I didn’t chop my fingers off. It was hard to focus though because he was standing really close to me and occasionally brushed against me. He was so close that I could feel his body heat.

I coughed. My throat was a little scratchy.

“You alright, Aurora?” Ignis asked.

“Yup. Just a dry throat,” I said.

“Drink some water,” he suggested. “Prompto, would you hand Aurora a water bottle?”

“Yeah sure thing!” Prompto said. He came over and handed me a bottle.

“Thanks Prom,” I said. I accepted the bottle and took a long drink. It soothed out the scratch in my throat a little, but not totally.

*****

After dinner was cooked and eaten and cleaned up after, we turned in for the night. I sat outside in my camp chair for a few extra minutes, trying to stop coughing so I wouldn’t keep everyone up all night. I wondered vaguely if I caught some sort of bug while we’d been out hunting.

I coughed again. Something flew out of my mouth, getting caught on my jacket sleeve.

The firelight was dying down, but it was enough to see what had been expelled from my throat.

A blue petal.

Wait. A petal. A flower petal. A blue flower petal. I’d just coughed up a  _ blue flower petal _ .

“Oh  _ Six _ ,” I whispered. “I thought that was just a myth!”

Hanahaki Disease.

Flowers growing in the lungs of the afflicted due to unrequited love. A slow and difficult death. There was one cure—the target of your feelings loving you back—and one surgery to remove the roots from one’s lungs. That surgery would also remove one’s feelings for the one they’d fallen in love with.

But with the fall of Insomnia, none of the hospitals outside the big city would be equipped to even  _ handle _ a surgery like that. Not to mention Hanahaki Disease was more of a medical fiction than reality.

My breathing quickened in my panic.

I threw the petal on the fire as the tent flap unzipped. “Aurora? Are you coming in? It’s getting cold,” Ignis remarked.

“Uh… yeah. Yeah I’m coming in right now.”

Another cough. Another petal in my hand. I shoved it in my pocket and ducked inside.

“Sleep well,” Ignis offered.

“Thanks Iggy,” I said.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, there were several more petals around my head. I gathered them up and shoved them all in a pocket to burn them or get rid of them when the boys wouldn’t notice. They were a pale blue in the early dawn light. Thankfully I was the first one up. I recognized the petals.

Dahlias.

When I was training to become a healer, I’d been working in a florist shop. Dahlias were beautiful. I’d always loved them.

I slid out of the tent and back into my camp chair. I was definitely panicking.

Hanahaki Disease was lethal. My airways would get filled with flowers and restrict my breathing until I suffocated. It was going to be slow and drawn out. That wasn’t going to be good. If Ignis didn’t fall in love with me within the next several weeks—and since he was  _ Ignis _ , I doubted he would—I was going to die.

I threw the petals on the dying embers of the fire and watched them shrivel up.

“What do I do?” I whispered. Was I supposed to  _ tell _ the boys? Was I supposed to tell  _ Ignis _ ? What would he think? Knowing Ignis, he’d probably feel  _ obligated _ to fall in love with me to save my life.

But that wouldn’t be real love—and probably wouldn’t spare me.

No. My best course of action would be to keep the disease to myself and to see if Ignis could fall in love with me organically.

And if not… I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.

“You’re up early,” a voice remarked from behind me. I’d been so lost in thought I hadn’t heard the tent flap unzip.

I shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep. This is unusually early for you too, Prom,” I said.

He fell down into a camp chair next to me. “Meh. Gladio kicked me really hard in his sleep so I figured it’d be best to get up.”

“Surprising,” I said. “Gladio usually sleeps like the  _ dead _ .”

“I know. That’s why I got up.” Prompto glanced around. “Gorgeous morning.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Shapin’ up to be a nice clear day.”

“Are we goin’ on another hunt today?”

“We might.” I pursed my lips. “Ask Ignis and Noct.” I coughed, covering my mouth with my hand to catch the petals that came out of my lungs.

“Are you doin’ okay, Rory?”

“Fine, why?”

“I dunno. You just seem… like you’re coughing a bit more since yesterday.”

“Yeah. Just a scratchy throat,” I said. “Might be allergic to something in the area. Haven’t left Insomnia much so I don’t really know what wildlife I am and am not allergic to.”

“You’re the healer though, so you have something to take for that, right? Like, an allergy pill?”

“Yeah definitely. But I’ll take it after breakfast so I have something in my stomach.”

“Right good idea.”

“Speaking of.” I leaned down and scooped my med bag off the ground next to my chair. “Your stomach-ache medicine.” I passed him the bottle. “I got a refill when we were in Lestallum.”

Prompto gasped. “Aurora, you are a  _ lifesaver _ ,” he said.

I snickered. “That’s my job, Prompto.”

“With these hunts recently the anxiety and the stomach problems are getting worse.”

“I know,” I said. “I’ve noticed. You’re hanging out on the edges of fights even more so than usual. Sometimes grabbing your stomach. I  _ know _ you guys, dude. I can see when you’re not doin’ too hot. I was trained to recognize symptoms—especially of your guys’ problems since I’ve been around you for so long.” I reached across the space between our camp chairs and patted his knee.

“You can fix anything, Rory.”

_ Anything except my own condition, _ I thought. But I put on a brave face and smiled. “Thanks. If only that were true.”

The tent unzipped again. “What are you two doing out here so early?” Ignis asked.

“Just chattin’,” Prompto said. “Rory got a refill of my stomach medicine!”

“It  _ is _ her job,” Ignis remarked, moving over to the camp stove to ignite it and get some breakfast started.

“Ouch, Iggy,” I teased. “You could at least say, ‘How thoughtful of her,’ or something.”

“Aurora, it’s your duty as a healer to care for patients. Forgive me if I see your caring over us in a different light than you do,” Ignis said, not even looking at me. Which was fine because it gave me leave to roll my eyes right into the back of my head and look at my brain to find my patience.

“Well, we all like a little appreciation once in a while, Ignis,” I said. “Prompto was appropriately appreciative. Would you not thank a surgeon who removed something from your lung just because it was their duty as a surgeon to do so?”

“Rory, lay off,” Prompto whispered. “He’ll be in a better mood once he’s had his coffee.”

“Not having coffee is not actually an excuse for being a jerk,” I retorted. “I don’t drink coffee and I don’t behave like this in the morning. Ignis is supposed to be the one with  _ manners _ .”  _ Why did I fall in love with you? _ I thought with irritation.

Ignis left the stove and approached me. He cradled my face in both his hands and looked me directly in the eye. His eyes were almost turquoise in the pale early morning light. They’d turn an intense green later, but the sparkling teal was captivating. “You’re right. That was rather rude of me. My sincerest apologies, Aurora. It is incredibly selfless of you to leave your career behind in Insomnia to accompany us on this journey and keep us from getting killed.” He kissed my hairline. “Please forgive me.”

Oh right. That was why I fell for him.

“Apology accepted,” I said. “Give me a few minutes for the forgiveness though.”

“You’ll have it.” He smiled at me and went back to the stove.

I coughed as my throat tickled and put more dahlia petals on the dying embers of the fire when Prompto wasn’t looking. He was too busy searching for his water bottle so he could take his medicine to notice me anyway.

Gladio emerged from the tent a few minutes after, announced he was going on a run, and disappeared. Noctis wouldn’t wake up until ten or eleven unless we were lucky or forceful so Ignis, Prompto, and I ate breakfast first. I glanced over at Ignis as I ate. “I forgive you, Iggy—this breakfast is  _ delicious _ ,” I said.

That made him chuckle. “You have my thanks, Aurora.”

“Y’know you can call me Rory, right? I mean, you call Noctis ‘Noct’ and Gladiolus ‘Gladio’ so Rory is fine with me.”

“Yes, but I’ve known Noct and Gladio much longer than I’ve known you.”

“Fair enough,” I relented.

“Mmm! This is  _ really good _ , Iggy,” Prompto said, raising his fork.

“Thank you, Prompto.”

The three of us had just barely finished eating and cleaning up our dishes when Gladio returned. “Another day, another hunt, eh?” he asked cheerfully, covered in sweat and beaming.

“Can we hit a town and restock on some healing supplies first? I’m runnin’ low and I don’t want to get caught out in the wild without some of this stuff. Like I’ve only got a few Maiden’s Kiss left and we’re dangerously short on Phoenix Downs.” I rifled through my healing bag. “And potions. We need more potions. I wouldn’t say no to a couple high-potions and elixirs either.”

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed. “I should like an ingredient restock as well.” He handed Gladio some breakfast and went to wake Noctis.

“So town first, then hunt?” Gladio asked.

“If we have time for a hunt, yes,” Ignis said. “Noct! Come have some breakfast before we pack up!”

Noctis’ groan was loud enough that we could hear it from our spots around the fire.

“Don’t know why you like hunting so much,” Prompto muttered.

“It’s fun, it’s a good workout, and we get experience. What’s not to like?”

“Getting injured?” I suggested.

Gladio waved me off dismissively. “That’s what we have  _ you _ for, Rory.” He put some food in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. “If you two ain’t the biggest wimps of the five of us, I’d be surprised.”

“I’m a  _ healer _ , Gladio. Not a fighter. Y’all draggin’ me into fights is unnecessarily dangerous—to you guys  _ and _ to me.”

“Well that’s why we keep an eye on you. Make sure you stay safe,” Gladio said.

“Hmph,” I huffed.

Noctis emerged from the tent, hair a mess of bedhead and rubbing his eyes. “How long have you guys been up?” he complained.

“Aurora’s been up nearly an hour,” Ignis remarked, handing Noctis his breakfast.

“Have I?”

“Yes, I heard you leave the tent. Just didn’t have the energy to get up myself.”

Crap. I hoped he hadn’t heard me muttering to myself about what I was supposed to do about contracting Hanahaki.

At the thought of my disease, I coughed again.

“Take an allergy pill, Rory,” Prompto said, handing me my bag. I took it from him and dug through it to find the bottle of allergy pills. The non-drowsy kind.

“Oh hey, hand me one while you’re at it,” Gladio said.

I shook two pills into my hand, pinched one to my palm with my pinky, and threw the other one at Gladio. He caught it in his mouth and threw his arms up in triumph. I laughed as I popped the other one into my mouth and washed it down with some water.

I lived for mornings like this on this trip—having fun, being silly, building camaraderie. I hoped every morning could be this cheerful with what time I had left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if I made a typo or accidentally left out a word in a sentence XD I do that sometimes LOL If you have any questions about the story, either now or in future chapters, feel free to ask (especially if I accidentally left something out XD Whoops)!


	3. Chapter 3

The allergy pill I’d taken with breakfast did nothing to abate my symptoms. I just got better at hiding them. Coughs turned into me clearing my throat. If I cleared my throat with my fist pressed to my mouth, I could get flower petals off my tongue without Ignis even noticing as we wandered a small town looking for supplies and ingredients.

“What’s your favorite flower?” I asked as we wandered past a vendor selling flowers.

“Dahlias. They’re elegant and dignified. Why?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“I tend to prefer blues and violets. Is there a point to this line of questioning?”

I sighed. “Iggy, I could tell you about _your specific_ _injuries_ and medical requirements from the top of your head to the soles of your feet and _everything_ in-between. But I couldn't tell you your favorite color or flower. I know you too well to not know you at all.”

“I do tend to keep my personal life private.”

“Yeah but out here there’s hardly a difference between your personal and professional lives. You can open up to us. To  _ me _ . I’m a healer. Like you said, it’s my job to care for you guys. And I  _ do _ ! Maybe too much—but constant exposure does that—and I want to know you as a  _ person _ . Not just a patient.” I looked up at him as he inspected some bananas hanging in a bunch.

He sighed and looked down at me. “Aurora, I was rather rude to you this morning and you still have the heart to try and get to know me. I confess I don’t understand.”

I shrugged. “You’ve been forgiven. It’s been forgotten. Sometimes we just wake up on the wrong side of the sleeping bag. Nothing much to it. I’m sure you’ve forgiven Noct for a  _ lot _ of crap you had to put up with from him.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Ignis mused. “There’s a shop with healing supplies over there.” He indicated over his shoulder with his thumb. “Shall we stop by after we finish here? I’d rather not split up for fear of getting lost.”

“Yeah. Sure thing,” I said. “Think Noct and Prompto have won every arcade game since we left them with Gladio?”

“I’m anxious to venture a guess,” Ignis admitted. “For the sake and sanity of the manager.”

I laughed. “Fair enough,” I said.

“Come. Let us finish this quickly. Gladio wants to get a hunt in today—and I shouldn’t mind if we do.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah good idea.”

*****

“Hey Iggy, what are your plans when all this is over?” I asked as we sat in the hotel room playing cards. Prompto and I were on the corner of one of the beds, Gladio on the other corner, with Noctis and Ignis on the armchairs. We’d dragged the table between the bed corners so we could all have a place to sit while we played.

“I anticipate I’ll continue my work,” he said.

“Well,  _ yeah,”  _ I said sarcastically. “But, like, with your personal life? Ever think about falling in love, settling down, maybe having a couple kids?” I jerked my head in Gladio’s direction. “I know Gladdy does. What about you?”

Ignis’ eyes were an extremely intense green in the gold lighting of the ceiling fan. “I’ll be honest, Aurora, I’ve not thought about a domestic life. I can’t imagine having time. And I’m not sure I’m an easy man to love.”

“Wasn’t hard for me,” I muttered, so quietly that even Prompto didn’t hear me. I wished my healing magic included the ability to conjure a massive sign with flashing lights pointing to me and displaying “ _ I LOVE YOU!” _ in capital letters. I cleared my throat and tucked a few petals into my jacket pocket. Louder, I continued, “How come?”

“The term ‘high-maintenance’ comes to mind,” he said.

I honestly couldn’t help the scoff that came from my throat—causing a petal to whiz from my lungs and into my mouth. I cleared my throat again to grab the petal and hide it away. “Sorry. That scoff hurt my throat,” I lied. “Ignis, you’re, like, the most low-maintenance guy I have ever met. You always put everyone else before yourself. Why would you say you’re high-maintenance?”

“You’ve not seen me when I’m not at least  _ partially _ in work mode.”

“So tell me,” I said.

“Hey Rory, got any twos?” Prompto asked, interrupting.

“Aaand I hate you,” I said flatly, passing Prompto both of the twos I had. He laughed and bounced his eyebrows in an apology that wasn’t at all apologetic. I snorted.

“If you three are all done  _ flirting _ with each other, I want Prompto’s fives,” Noctis said.

Prompto swore and handed Noctis a pair of fives.

Ignis won Go Fish. He always did. Ignis won most games we played.

“Welp. We did a good hunt today kids, but I’m bushed. I think it’s time to turn in,” Gladio said. He stretched. “Anyone mind if I shower first?”

“So long as you don’t use all the hot water again, big guy,” Prompto said.

Gladio chuckled and ruffled Prompto’s hair like he would a little brother’s. “No promises, little guy.”

“Leave some for the lady, Gladio,” Ignis advised.

I blushed. Ignis’ chivalry and constant looking out for me was one of the reasons I’d fallen for him. “Thanks Iggy,” I said. “But really I’m okay. You’re the only one who treats me like a girl. To  _ these _ three idiots—“ I made a sweeping gesture over Prompto, Noctis, and Gladio. “—I’m just another ‘one of the guys’.” Prompto, Gladio, and Noctis all laughed. Prompto nudged me in the arm with his elbow.

“That’s not  _ true _ , Rory,” he said playfully. “We all know you’re a girl.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.” I laughed and shoved Prompto playfully. “Go shower Gladio. I’ll be fine.” I waved Gladio toward the bathroom. He gave me a deep bow.

“You have my thanks, my lady,” he said sarcastically. He laughed when I rolled my eyes and ruffled my hair like I’d seen him do to Iris and Prompto. I laughed and let him before shoving him in the hip toward the bathroom. He stumbled a bit and ducked into the bathroom.

I got up from the bed and went out onto the balcony. Once I was alone, I dug all the drying petals from the day out of my pocket and dumped them all out over the edge. They scattered in the breeze.

I took a deep breath of night air and let out a long sigh, a single petal escaping my mouth and fluttering away.

Another coughing fit wracked my body. A full dahlia head fell into my palms. I crushed it between my hands and dropped it.

Dahlias were Ignis’ favorite type of flower. I’d heard that someone with Hanahaki grew the favorite flower of their feelings’ target in their lungs. But it was just a rumor because Hanahaki Disease was more legend than diagnosis. There was so much I didn’t know about what I’d come down with. And what I  _ did _ know was all rumor and fantasy. An over-romanticized illness used to poignantly and wistfully spin tales of woe and broken hearts.

And now I had it. And it wasn’t all the fictional stories cracked it up to be.

“Hey. You okay, Rory?” Prompto’s voice asked from behind me.

“Fine,” I said.

“You’re still coughing a lot.”

“Probably just a dry throat from the hunt.”

Prompto draped a casual arm over my shoulder. “You spend a lot of time taking care of us, Rory. You ever consider taking care of your _ self _ ?” He gave me a soft smile, eyes more violet than blue in the darkness.

“You’re a good guy, Prom,” I said.

“Thanks Rory.”

My throat tickled and scratched. I coughed into my hands. The full bodied flower head was immediately tucked into my pocket when Prompto couldn’t see.

“You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah fine.”

“Positive? You started lagging on the hunt today.”

I shrugged. “I’m a healer. Not a fighter. I’m not as athletic as you boys are. I’m not trained for this.”

“Yeah but even for you this was pretty different. You got  _ really  _ short of breath really fast. The hunt wasn’t even that long,” Prompto said.

_ Yeah, well, let’s see how  _ you  _ fare when you’re growing flowers in your lungs,  _ I thought sharply.  _ See how well you breathe when every breath smells and tastes like flowers and some of your lung capacity is taken up by plants. _ Instead, I said, “If you’re right, I’d be surprised that  _ you’d _ be the one to notice.” I snickered. “Not because you’re inobservant, but because no one pays that much attention to me. I’ve had slow days before but no one’s ever commented on it.”

“Maybe this time it was just easier to notice,” Prompto said.

“Maybe.”

To tell or not to tell? Prompto wasn’t  _ much _ of a secret keeper but he was right. If I was slowing down the others would see that soon. If they thought I couldn’t keep up they’d get worried. If I was becoming a burden they’d drop me off at Cape Caem with Iris and Talcott and leave me behind.

Still, it didn’t seem like a good idea to tell Prompto about my disease. With his anxiety, he’d worry too much about me. Best to just soldier on and forge ahead alone in the knowledge that unless Ignis fell in love with me, I was going to die.

The door to the balcony slid open. “Prompto? Aurora? Which one of you wants to shower next?” Ignis asked.

“Prompto does,” I said.

“But I—”

“No, no. You do. Go!” I laughed and gave Prompto a playful shove toward Ignis. He stumbled and then went inside.

Ignis stepped out onto the balcony next to me. “Are you alright, Aurora?”

“Dandy. Why?”

“I dunno. You seem… nervous, I suppose.”

“Prompto’s not the only one with anxiety in this group. I’m always nervous, Iggy.” I forced myself to take another deep breath. “But other than that, I’m good,” I added. Ignis glanced down at me.

“If you say so,” he said. He moved to head back inside as Prompto shrieked, “SPIDER!”

I grabbed Ignis’ wrist. “Hey Iggy—sorry if I seem like I’m prying when I ask all my questions. And… thanks for caring,” I said.  _ If only you could care about me just a little bit more. _

He nodded and slid his hand out of my grip. “My pleasure, Aurora.”

He went back inside. Leaving me alone on the balcony with a pocket full of petals and flowers and a mind full of thoughts and fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I write lines that just smack me right in the face and I'm like, "I was possessed by the ghost of one of The Greats!" when I read it. "I know you too well to not know you at all," was one of those lines. Let me know if I made a typo or left out a word!


	4. Chapter 4

The first week of having Hanahaki Disease was almost bearable. Yes, I got short of breath faster than usual and it sucked when we were hiking or out hunting, but it was _almost_ normal. It got a little harder to hide the flowers and petals that I was coughing up—since sometimes a simple sigh of exasperation sent a petal shooting from my lungs and panting also caused some disturbances—but I adapted.

“Do we _have_ to _walk_?” Prompto complained as we piled out of the car.

I was still panting—and trying to hide it—from the rush that came with getting out of bed and getting ready to leave that morning, so I highly sympathized with the complaint. But I couldn’t let him know that without making them suspicious that something was up with me. “C’mon, Prom. We’ll be fine. Some exercise will do us some good.”

“ _That’s_ what I like to hear!” Gladio teased, poking me in the side. I shrieked. It tickled so I smacked his hand away.

“GLADIO!”

He chuckled. “Let’s go losers! We got monsters to track down!”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my lungs down. “Yeah. Let’s go,” I agreed.

We started to hike through the hills. Thankfully there was the occasional tree to provide us with some shade because the summer day was blooming into a bright and _hot_ one. Which wasn’t helping me and my condition.

As usual, I trailed to the back of the pack, Gladio leading the way. Usually Ignis would fall back to walk behind me in case we got jumped from the rear, but this time he was too busy haranguing Noctis about the vegetables we’d had with dinner the night before to notice me.

In fact, it took ten minutes of hiking for them to remember I existed at all.

In that time, I’d fallen much farther behind than usual. I was panting and my throat was clogged with mucus and petals. I spat it all out behind a rock and carried on, occasionally leaning against a tree for support.

“Rory? Are you okay?” Prompto asked quietly, falling into step beside me.

I swallowed some more mucus and nodded. “Fine,” I managed to get out between pants.

“Aurora, something’s wrong with you. Maybe you should see an older, more experienced healer the next time we hit a town,” he said. It was a rare occasion for him to use my full first name genuinely.

I waved dismissively. “I’m okay, Prompto,” I insisted.

“Maybe it’s asthma,” he offered helpfully.

If only. “It’s not. I’ve treated plenty of patients with asthma. This isn’t it.” _It’s a whole heck-of-a-lot worse, Prom. It’s Hanahaki Disease._

But I couldn’t say that to him. Not yet. Not to any of them yet.

He set his hand on the small of my back and started to give me a push. “C’mon, Rory. We can’t fall too far behind or we’ll lose the others and get lost,” he said. I nodded, barely able to talk through panting and not bothering to try. I spat more mucus and petals out as we moved. Prompto didn’t notice the petals and I pushed ahead too fast for him to look.

“I think it might just be a cold,” I said.

“In June?” Prompto asked, sounding skeptical.

“Well, yeah. I always caught a cold after the school year was over because of how much I stressed during finals week.” I coughed. “Besides. It’s not like three of the four of you are the peak of human hygiene.”

“Fair enough. We should try and keep stuff a little cleaner so that our healer doesn’t get sick,” Prompto mused. “Because we’re not gonna survive without you.”

I tried to chuckle, but the sound was airy and really more of a wheeze.

“HEY IGGY! Can we slow the pace a little? Rory’s struggling!” Prompto shouted, so loud that it hurt my ears. I winced.

“Prom, no. I’m okay, really.”

“No you’re not, Rory. Let us take care of you just a little bit here. This isn’t a time-sensitive hunt.” He kept pushing me down the path. Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio slowed down enough that we all regrouped.

“Are you alright, Aurora?” Ignis asked as Prompto and I made it back to the group.

“Fine. I think I’m catching a cold.”

“Are you certain? This isn’t the season for—”

“Pretty darn. Trust the healer, okay?” I retorted. The effort that took made me cough into my hand. I clenched the petals that came out into my fist and let it fall to my side. “Let’s keep going. I’m gonna be fine. I’ll take it easy tonight and hopefully that’ll help me get over it quicker.” _It won’t, but you guys don’t have to know that yet._

“Alright. Shall we continue then?”

“Yeah let’s go,” I said.

*****

“She’s not doin’ so hot,” Prompto muttered to himself, watching Aurora run around the battlefield dispensing healing supplies as she always did. Each dodge was slower than the last and every dash took longer than the one before it. At first the sluggishness wasn’t noticeable. But it grew more and more obvious when her usual vim and vigor seemed completely depleted. To the point where she could only stagger around the fight. “Hey Rory!” he shouted. She turned. She was sweating and panting. “Get over here!”

Aurora coughed into her hand, shoved that hand into her jacket pocket, and stumbled over to him. “Wha’s… what’s wrong?” she panted. Behind her, the fight finished.

“ _You_ , Rory. You’re moments away from collapsing. What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothin’. ‘M fine,” she mumbled, slurred and tired. “Just m’ cold.”

“AURORA!” Prompto shouted as her face went ashy and she pitched forward. He closed the distance between them and caught her before she could face-plant the ground. He scooped her up into his arms, not noticing the stash of pale blue petals falling out of her pocket.

She was still conscious but her breathing was heavy and she was exhausted.

Prompto almost wasn’t strong enough to carry her. He lugged her over to the rest of the group. “Iggy!” he called. “It’s Rory! She just collapsed!” Gladio took Aurora from Prompto’s arms. She coughed weakly into her hand. It fell in a loosely-clenched fist to dangle. Gladio started to carry her back to the car. A single blue petal fell from her fingers to the ground. None of the boys saw.

The hike back to the car was almost dead silent. Aurora’s wheezing was one of the only sounds besides the ambiance of the hills around them—insects buzzing, birds chirping, the like. “Noct, trade me places in the back,” Prompto said. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Noctis nodded.

When they made it back to the car, Prompto let her lie on his lap as they drove off, stroking her hair soothingly. The weight of her head increased. She’d fallen asleep.

But her breathing was still ragged.

“Guys, I think we’re pushing too hard. If Rory’s collapsed, maybe we should take a break. Couple days to get our strength back. Rory’s been lagging farther than usual this past week,” Prompto said, barely audible over the purr of the Regalia’s engine. “We might be working too hard.”

Noctis turned around in the front seat. “What’s with this sudden empathy for Rory, Prompto? Do I detect a crush forming?” he teased.

“No!” Prompto retorted, too quickly, fingers stilling in her hair. “She’s been our friend since we were kids. We should be treating her better than this. If we’re pushing her so hard that she collapses right after a fight, we should back off.”

“Prompto is right, Noct,” Ignis said. “A few days to regain strength would be beneficial.”

“Okay.” Noctis shrugged. “Hey Prompto, if she’s got a cold, maybe don’t get so cozy with her. Don’t want to catch whatever she has.”

She coughed, seemingly in response, but still asleep. None of them noticed the petals that spewed from her mouth and landed on the floor of the Regalia, sliding off Prompto’s boots.

Prompto kept running his fingers through her hair. In her early days of training as a palace healer, she was still a schoolgirl at the elementary school Prompto and Noctis went to. She’d always seemed to notice him while he was invisible to everyone else—the quiet, chubby kid who didn’t talk to anyone.

They often got paired together for partner assignments because she hadn’t talked to anyone much either. So the two were just assigned together by default.

She talked about learning to become a healer a little, and occasionally mentioned that she’d met Noctis once or twice, but for the most part she’d never talked much when they didn’t want to. After a while she’d occasionally go on a run with him. A spritely, energetic little girl who could lap him twice. Until they were older. He’d started lapping her when they were in their early teens.

He missed some of those runs. When she’d pull him along by the hand.

Maybe that was why he pushed her today. To repay her for all the years of her being his friend and pulling him.

Friend… maybe friend wasn’t the right term for it. He’d told her he loved her more than a few times since they were kids, and he’d meant it. Platonically. At the time. His fingers tensed in her hair. He knew she was claiming she had a cold but the thought of Aurora needing to be left behind somewhere to recover almost sent him into a panic. Prompto didn’t know what they would do without her.

He didn’t know what _he_ would do without her.

Because he loved her.

He really did.

He was _in_ love with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I'm really gonna say is, "Thank the Six Ignis was driving and the other three are as observant as a closet door."
> 
> (LMK about any typos or missing words!)


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up in Hammerhead, swaddled in a sweatshirt that was  _ way _ too big on me. “What’re we doing here?” I mumbled, sitting up.

Ignis was sitting on the sofa in the caravan at my knees. “You fell asleep in the Regalia on the way back from the hunt and Prompto convinced us all to take a few days of rest,” he explained. He brushed a few strands of hair out of my face, tucking them behind my ear. “How’s your cold?”

I cleared my throat into my fist and pulled the petal out. “Still there,” I said.

“Perhaps a few days of rest will do you good.”

“Hope so.”  _ You liar, Aurora. You know it won’t. _ I swallowed, trying to moisten my throat. “Whose hoodie is this anyway?” I needed to change the subject before he asked any more questions about my illness.

“Prompto’s. Surprisingly, he did bring  _ one _ article of clothing with sleeves on. The two of you are closest in size,” Ignis said.

“Where are the others?”

“Outside. Waiting to hear whether or not you’re alright.”

“How long was I out?”

“About six hours. No one wished to wake you in hopes that you might sleep off your affliction.”

“Wish it worked like that Iggy. But thank you. All of you. That’s sweet.”

Ignis picked a glass of water off the kitchenette counter. “Here. Drink,” he said gently, cradling the back of my head so I could sit up enough to take a drink. I let him help me because I was still having a little struggle breathing and sitting up seemed like a lot of effort. After a few sips I waved the drink off.

“Ah. Thanks.”

“You are welcome.” He patted my knee, moved to stand, and then settled back onto the sofa. “Aurora… is there something you’re not telling us?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a healer. I’ve known you since we were teens—” Given he was twenty-two and I was twenty, it didn’t seem that long ago. “—and I’m aware of how capable you are. You were the youngest palace healer ever hired. At the age of eighteen. I’m aware that you trained diligently to be as good as you are, and it’s because of your skills that I suspect you  _ know _ that you have an illness far more serious than a cold but aren’t telling us.”

I scrunched my nose. “Why would I lie? You know me better than that, don’t you?”

“Your honesty may seem brutal at times, Aurora, but that doesn’t preclude the possibility of you lying when it comes to your own well-being. Particularly if you believe it would be beneficial to your patients.”

“Really, Ignis, I’m pretty sure it’s just a cold.”

He watched me skeptically for several moments. I coughed again—ignoring the look he was giving me—and hid the flower petals in a loosely-curled fist until he wasn’t looking so I could tuck them in my pocket.

When Ignis realized I wasn’t going to say anything more about my illness, he sighed and stood up. “The others will come inside shortly. I suggest you take your rest in peace while you can,” he offered. There was the ghost of a smile on his face as he moved to leave the caravan.

I grabbed his wrist. “Thanks for keeping an eye on me, Ignis,” I said.

He nodded. “You’re welcome, Aurora,” he replied. He slid his hand out of mine and slipped from the caravan. I lowered myself back down and closed my eyes, stowing the petals.

* * *

_ “Now remember, sweetheart, you’re just shadowing me today,” Mom said, two years before I was officially hired as a healer. “Observe and learn. There shouldn’t be a whole lot to do today so you might even get a shot at helping some Crownsguard trainee fix a dislocated shoulder or something. But remember you’re the shadow, not a hired healer. Don’t correct the other healers unless you’re offering it as a suggestion. They’re more experienced than you.” _

_ “More set in their ways, more like,” I muttered under my breath. “I’ll try, Mom.” _

_ We hurried down corridors of the Citadel. I’d been in it several times since my childhood, visiting my parents at work, bringing them their lunches when they forgot. Sometimes my mom had to bring me if my usual sitter cancelled when I was really young. That was when I met Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness, Prince Noctis. _

_ My phone buzzed in the pocket of my jacket. I peered at it. _

Prompto: Good luck at the Citadel today!

Me: Thanks Prom! We can work on that science project when I get home!

Prompto: Sure thing!

_ I put my phone away and hurried after my mom to the palace healing wing. We hung up our jackets on a rack in a small closet and I was given a healer’s long white coat. It was too big on me and too long, but it was the spare so I didn’t complain. _

_ I clipped my visitor badge to the chest pocket and followed my mom out of the closet. _

_ A young man—or late-teens boy—was out in the main body of the healing wing. Tawny-haired and bespectacled, he carried himself with remarkably rigid posture. Leanly muscled and nearing six feet tall, if not already, he blinked when he caught sight of me. He had light eyes, but from my distance I couldn’t determine their color. _

_ My sixteen-year-old brain immediately determined that he was cute. Handsome. Whatever. _

_ “Mrs. Aubade,” he said to my mother. “I was unaware you were bringing in a trainee today.” _

_ My mom smiled warmly at him—the way she smiled at most everybody. “Ignis, this is my daughter, Aurora. She’s training to become a healer.” _

_ I stuck my hand out, offering to shake his. “How do you do?” I asked with a friendly smile. _

_ He took my hand—but instead of shaking it, he kissed my knuckles. “A pleasure, I’m sure,” he said, looking up at me from being bent over my hand. His eyes were sharp green, flecked with blue. No one had ever kissed my hand before and I didn’t know how to react, but I  _ knew _ my face was flushing bright red. Because I could feel the heat spreading to my ears and down my neck. _

_ “Nice to meet you too,” I said. It was more of a squeak. “I’m… Aurora. Aubade. But Mom already said that.” I closed my eyes and shook my head.  _ Stupid. Stupid idiot, _ I thought.  _ Making a fool of yourself just because he’s cute. Get yourself together.

_ He smiled. “Ignis Scientia.” He released my hand and turned to my mom. “Mrs. Aubade, I was going to bring His Highness in for a physical. Do you have the time?” _

_ “For Noctis? Always,” Mom said. “Would it be alright for Aurora to observe?” _

_ Ignis eyed me. “I don’t see why not, but you’ll have to ask him.” _

_ I held my tongue before blurting out that Noct wouldn’t mind. We’d been friends for almost a year—ever since Prompto befriended him. _

_ Ignis bowed to my mother. “I shall return with Prince Noctis shortly.” He turned to me and nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Aubade.” _

_ “You too,” I said. _

* * *

“Rory!” Prompto exclaimed, throwing the caravan door open. “Do you have  _ any _ idea how worried I was when you  _ collapsed _ after a  _ fight _ ?!” He dropped onto the sofa at my knees, taking the spot where Ignis had been, and fished my penlight out of my med bag. He flicked the light at one eye, and then the other. “Yup. Pupils equally reactive to light. They constrict in sync with each other. I think you’re gonna be okay!”

I laughed, feeling the strain of the flowers in my lungs make the laugh slightly wheezy. I sounded more breathy than usual—but Prompto didn’t seem to notice. Thank the Six. “Prom, I’ve practiced healer stuff on you for  _ years _ and you  _ still _ don’t remember all the right terminology!”

“Yeah, well, you were just practicing so I wasn’t paying attention,” he said defensively.

Still chuckling, I swiped the penlight from him and dropped it back into my bag.

Prompto leaned forward and brushed some of my messy hair out of my face. “Hey,” he said softly. “You doin’ okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah I’m good. Thanks.” I grinned.

“Tellin’ the truth?” He gave me a pointed look.

“I always tell the truth, Prom.”

“So how come you collapsed?”

“Simple exhaustion. Plus the cold. Just wore myself right out.”

He set his hand on my shoulder. “Well… take care of yourself, okay? We can’t lose our healer.” A smile pulled on his face. “We wouldn’t have survived this far without you anyway.”

I snickered. “You’re absolutely right,” I agreed, patting his hand.  _ And I’m sorry that I’ll just keep getting worse and may actually have to leave you. You’re my best friend and I can’t imagine a worse nightmare. _ “Hey, help me up, will ya? I need some fresh air.” I started trying to sit up, aware of how clogged my lungs felt.

“Sure thing.” He grabbed my hand and forearm and helped me stand. I nodded to him and stepped outside.

Brisk summer evening air caressed my skin. It felt crisp and pleasant. I took a deep breath—well, as deep of a breath as I could take—and soaked it all in. Prompto was standing behind me, one hand on my shoulder.

“Well hi there,” Cindy said, emerging from the garage. There was a smear of grease on her face. “You doin’ okay, Rory?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes we just work ourselves a little too hard.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” she remarked. She set her hand on my other shoulder and strolled off. Prompto stared after her.

I snickered. “Go talk to her, Prom,” I said quietly. “I’ll be fine right here.”

“I just gotta ask her a question. I’ll be right back.”

He scampered away. I smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while! Life is hectic, as everyone knows. Enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey Cindy,” Prompto said, approaching the mechanic.

“Howdy. What’s up?”

“If I just realized I’m in love with one of my best friends… what do I do about it?”

“Well, now, why don’t you ask your other friends about it?”

“Because I don’t want them to tease me or worse—tell _her_.”

Cindy smiled. “Follow your heart, I’d say.”

“But… what if she doesn’t like me back?” Prompto wrung his hands together.

“Well, what’s the worst that could happen? She says no?”

“I guess… but it would also completely destroy our friendship…”

“Bud, sometimes somethin’s gotta be destroyed in order for somethin’ better to take its place,” Cindy said, patting his shoulder. “If your friendship’s destroyed but a true love is built instead… now that sounds like a win to me.” She smiled at him. “You’ll figure it out, Prompto. It’s up to you, but I say follow your heart.” She headed back into the garage, leaving Prompto alone to his thoughts.

Prompto glanced over his shoulder at where Aurora was leaning against the side of the caravan, arms folded over her chest and breathing deeply. At first she seemed peaceful and content—but her breathing was a bit labored and there was a crease between her eyebrows.

His heart ached to see that she was distressed about something. He knew her too well to not notice.

“She’d never love me back the way I love her,” he whispered, looking down at the pavement. “I’m her best friend… and that’s it.” He sighed, resigning himself to that. He loved Aurora too much to put his relationship with her in danger over a simple confession. She owed his feelings nothing in return and he wanted to respect that. He wanted to respect _her_. He couldn’t lose her. Didn’t want to risk it. If he told her how he felt, nothing would ever be the same between them again, and he didn’t want that change to be for the worse.

He shook his head and sighed.

“I’ll be okay. What’s a little extra heartache and pining, right?” he muttered.

He turned to head back to the caravan—and paused. His throat was a little scratchy. He swallowed and cleared it, giving a little cough.

*****

“Time to turn in!” Ignis shouted from the door to the caravan, calling all of us outside to go inside.

I got up from the plastic lawn chair I’d been sitting in and moved to follow.

“Prompto?” I asked called across Hammerhead’s open pavement.

He was sitting on the ground, cross-legged, clicking through pictures on his camera.

I strolled over, feeling lucky that it didn’t leave me winded to walk a couple yards. If I’d jogged over, maybe. But not walking. I set my hand on his shoulder. “You comin’ in, Prom?”

“Huh? Oh. Uh. Yeah,” he said. He shook his head and pushed himself to his feet. “Sorry, Rory. Totally lost in thought.”

“What are you looking at?” I gestured to his camera.

“Just some of the pictures I took today on the hunt. And this one.” He passed me the camera. The picture was of me, asleep on his lap, one of his hands in my hair. “You look so cute when you sleep.”

I snorted as we headed inside. “Thanks. I guess.” I passed the camera back to him. “Hey, remember all those terrible pictures you took of me when I got my wisdom teeth out? My face was all puffy and I had the gauze in my mouth and that horrible ice pack on wrapped around the sides of my head like I broke my jaw?”

“Of course I remember. What about them?”

“Do you still have them?”

“They’re on a data card at my parents’ house. Assuming it survived the fall of Insomnia… yeah.”

I sighed. “Ugh. I hated those pictures. They make me look like a chipmunk.”

Prompto laughed, holding the door open for me. “C’mon Rory! I _love_ those pictures!”

“Why?” I complained.

“Because they’re _you_! They’re organic, raw Aurora Lux Aubade who’s not posing or putting on a brave face for a camera.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks,” I muttered flatly.

Prompto chuckled—and then coughed. He cleared his throat. “Sorry. Bit of a dry throat from all the hunting today,” he said. I eyed him skeptically. I’d said something like that maybe an hour before the first flower petal of Hanahaki Disease made its appearance.

“Drink some water,” I said, hoping beyond hope that his throat was just dry.

The five of us bedded down for the night. Ignis had handed me a bottle of water and a cough drop and told me to see if it would help my scratchy throat. I accepted them, had a drink, and sucked on the cough drop while lying awake, staring at the ceiling.

*****

It was the middle of the night when I woke up gasping for breath. I panted, struggling to get enough oxygen. My throat was clogged and I was lightheaded.

Completely ignoring the fact that I wasn’t alone in the caravan, I threw the blankets off and ran outside. Not bothering to be quiet. I doubted anyone would wake up. With any luck they were too exhausted.

Barefoot and pajama-clad, I ran away from Hammerhead into the darkness.

When I was far enough away that I was fairly certain no one would hear me, I ducked behind a tree and some rocks and threw up.

There was no bile. The contents of my stomach stayed where they were.

This was a different kind of vomit. It came from my lungs. Several pale blue dahlia heads coated in saliva landed heavily on the ground. Wads of petals that weren’t connected to a head joined them. My throat burned from the plants getting expelled and I panted from the effort it took to throw them up. Holding onto the side of a boulder to keep me upright, I wheezed, raw and ragged breaths shuddering in and out of my mouth.

“Oh, how _tragic,_ ” a vaguely familiar voice purred. A pair of boots entered my field of vision where I was staring at the ground, a long coat sweeping around them. “Such a rare and dangerous condition.”

Still panting, I looked up. “Wha… what?” My eyes were met with a scarf, frilled collar, fingerless gloves, and purplish-reddish hair. “Ch… Chancellor Izunia. What… what are you doing here?” I didn’t have the energy to get riled up and I didn’t have the combat experience to take a swing at him. No matter how much I wanted to. “What do you want?”

He put a hand on my shoulder and straightened me up. “If you think about it, Hanahaki Disease should kill half the population. Everyone suffers from unrequited love at some point. But it doesn’t. Do you want to know why?”

“Uh…”

“Because it’s a legend. To most, it’s not a real condition. Most people aren’t connected to the power of the gods and the planet, little healer. But you, who borrows the True King’s healing power, are capable of contracting it.

“Still. That doesn’t mean you would. _Unless_ another entity of great power were to intervene.” Chancellor Izunia chuckled and placed his fingertips on my chest, just above my heart. “Legend says that someone with your affliction could survive up to three months with the plants in their lungs. But I don’t have that kind of time. With your help, the True King may yet survive to fulfill his destiny, but may also survive to destiny’s end. The gods have a very specific path for your king in mind, and _you_ —with your stubborn determination and fascinatingly advanced skill—will be _right_ in the way.”

I gasped as I could _feel_ the flowers in my lungs multiply and my breathing get harder. “No… _no_ …!” I tried to protest. “You’re… _you’re_ the one who cursed me with this?” I panted, leaning against the boulder for support, as another round of flowery vomit got hacked up from my throat.

Izunia ran the backs of his fingers down my face. Creep. “Fret not, child, I’ve left you a good two weeks to win the heart of the one you love. But… if I were you… I’d worry less about your condition and more about the condition of that little blond who seems _sooo_ devoted to your precious prince.”

I coughed, a blue dahlia falling to the ground. “What… what did you do… to Prompto!?” I demanded. I was nowhere near intimidating, exhausted and wheezing, but I was angry. My blood was boiling at the threat to my best friend.

“ _I_ have done nothing, little healer,” Ardyn said, far too innocent for me to believe him. “However, his _heart_ and connection to _you_ and your True King’s power may cause contagion.”

I coughed and turned to look at the dark caravan. When I turned back, I could swear black ectoplasm was dripping from the chancellor’s eyes and mouth, irises glowing gold. After a particularly difficult wheeze, I seemed to get a little more oxygen back and the chancellor’s appearance returned to normal. “Leave… Prompto… alone…!”

Ardyn put his hands up, as though surrendering. “Ah, but _I’ve_ done nothing to him.” He took several steps back. “And people say that love cannot kill.”

I couldn’t go after him alone in the daemon-infested darkness, and I didn’t have the lung power at the moment to shout for the others, so I let him go. I ran back to the caravan—or, rather, _stumbled quicky_ —and dropped to my knees next to Prompto’s head.

He was sleeping peacefully.

The exertion it required just to run back made me lightheaded. Breathing hard, I tried to find the energy just to wake him up.

But first I needed to close my eyes and get my breath back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It occurs to me that sometimes I take a while to update so... sorry if this is a cliffhanger for a while... I'll get to Ch7 eventually I promise. The story is mostly finished, actually (all that's left is to finish the last two of the endings, woot woot!), I just have to remember to /post/ the chapters XD
> 
> (If I misspelled something or forgot a word, please let me know so I can fix it! Thank you!)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented and given this kudos! I'm honored that you guys take time out of your lives to read this story! You're all so kind! Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

When Prompto woke, the first thing he noticed was Aurora was nowhere in sight.

He sat up abruptly. “Rory?  _ Rory?!” _ he hissed.

“Present,” an exhausted but familiar voice said from the floor.

Leaning over the edge of the bed, he saw her lying on the ground in her pajamas. The soles of her feet were dirty and a few stray hairs were plastered to her face from sweat. “Rory what are you doing on the floor?” Slowly Prompto crept out of bed and crouched next to her.

“Rolled outta bed, I guess,” she mumbled, sounding drained. Prompto did his best to scoop her up and put her down on the bed. The effort it took to deadlift her and put her up on the bed left him short of breath.

He coughed. “Don’t lie to me, Rory. The bottoms of your feet are filthy.”

She shrugged. “Have a cold. Went outside to cough so I wouldn’t wake anybody.” She leaned her head against his shoulder, reminding him of their tween years when they’d stay up late doing school projects or just talk about life and then her parents would drive him home with her in the back so she could say goodbye when they got to his house. When they were a little older he’d stay the night since he didn’t want to go back to his empty house and be alone. So close to him, he could smell the gentle scent of something floral clinging to her skin. “Man, I’m tired.”

“Rory…”

Before Prompto could finish, Ignis was sitting up. “What’s going on?”

“Nothin’,” Aurora said, taking her head off Prompto’s shoulder. “Just chattin’.”

“Alright. I’m going to go get breakfast started.”

“Could just go to Takka’s,” Aurora said. “If you want a break from cooking.”

Ignis looked between her and Prompto. “Alright. Perhaps we’ll do just that this morning. Shall we wake the others?”

“Sure thing.”

*****

“Prompto,” I said, grabbing his wrist. “Are you okay?”

“Uh… yeah, why?”

I shook my head. “I dunno. Just had a bad feeling that you weren’t. That something was wrong.” Why was I lying about running into Ardyn? Maybe I’d dreamed it—maybe I didn’t want them to worry or freak out—maybe I was scared that if I told them, they’d ask how it came to be and I didn’t have the courage to tell them about the Hanahaki yet.

“No. I’m okay Rory, really.”

“Okay. Good. I’m glad.”

Ardyn was a liar, trying to worry me and distract me. If Prompto said he was fine, then he was  _ fine _ . Never before in our lives had he had any problems complaining or telling me when something was wrong or slightly inconvenient.

“Let’s catch up with the others. I’m starving,” Prompto said.

I let go of his wrist. “Yeah. Yeah let’s do that.”

*****

“Are you  _ sure _ you didn’t catch whatever Rory has?” Noctis asked, eyeing Prompto quizzically. “You’re coughing a lot.”

“I’m fine. Just got something caught in my throat,” Prompto said. He coughed into his elbow. Aurora was watching him from where she was standing next to Ignis in the ordering line—which was very short, all things considered. He’d already taken his seat at the booth. He waved her off. She bounced an eyebrow and went back to peering at the menu.

Something flew out of Prompto’s throat and got caught on the fine blond hairs on his arm. He stopped coughing.

“See? I’m fine,” he said with a shrug.

“Is that… a flower petal?” Noctis asked, plucking something soft and white off Prompto’s arm.

“Dude, since when are you eating flowers?” Gladio asked as Noctis sniffed at the petal.

“Uh… I don’t,” Prompto said. “Maybe I just… inhaled it on accident?”

“How would you  _ accidentally _ inhale a flower petal?” Noctis retorted.

“I don’t know! It’s me! A lot of things that happen to me are accidents!” He snatched the petal from Noctis’ hand and smelled it, trying to see if he recognized the scent. He’d visited Aurora in the florist shop all the time when she worked there. She’d  _ loved _ showing off the flowers to him.

Gladio swiped it from him and examined it. “Daffodil by the looks of it. Iris grows these,” he said. “Loves ‘em.”

“Huh,” Prompto grunted.

“Hey guys,” Noctis said as Ignis and Aurora took their seats with their breakfast. “Guess what? Prompto just coughed up a flower petal!”

Ignis looked mildly curious while Gladio and Noctis laughed. Prompto was the only one to notice Aurora’s eyes widening. Her breathing picked up and her mouth fell open in surprise. “Is that right?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah. Daffodil, I think,” Gladio said. He passed the petal to Aurora. “What do you think, Miss Former Florist?”

She examined the white petal closely, munching on some breakfast. “Yeah. An immature daffodil. It’s not fully grown yet but still looks distinct,” she said, passing it back to Prompto. She was trying for nonchalant but Prompto heard the quiver in her voice. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say she was scared—but he couldn’t figure out why.

“Daffodils aren’t native to this area,” Ignis said, sounding thoughtful. “It’s possible someone is cultivating them nearby though.”

“Someone probably has a bouquet or something,” Aurora put in. “Anyway. Are we still planning on taking a couple days off to rest?”

“You are,” Ignis said. “The four of us may still hunt around the area. We won’t go far, I promise.” The last sentence was added as an afterthought as Aurora opened her mouth to protest. “We wouldn’t want to be too far away from our healer in case something happens.”

“Right,” she said. She cleared her throat into her fist a few times. “And what do you expect me to do while I’m hanging out here alone?”

“Recover,” Ignis said, brushing some of her hair behind her ear to see her face better. “From your illness.”

“What, bored, by myself? That’s gonna drive me crazy. How ‘bout you stay with me, Iggy? In case I get worse and need help?” She whacked him gently in the arm with the back of her hand at the suggestion, a smile playing on her face.

“I’m not entirely sure my leaving Noctis for a hunt is a terribly good ide—”

“I’ll do it,” Prompto interrupted. “I’ll stay.”

“Yeah I think you’re catching whatever Rory has,” Noctis agreed.

“Well. That’s settled then,” Ignis said. “Prompto will keep you company, Aurora.”

“Yeah! Like when you got your wisdom teeth out!” Prompto said brightly, beaming at her. She groaned, ears turning red, and put her head down on her arms.

“Yeah ‘cause  _ that _ went so well,” she muttered, voice muffled.

“Hey, I only dropped a mug of lukewarm broth and it didn’t even get  _ on _ you,” Prompto said. She snorted and shook her head before sitting up and going back to eating her breakfast.

“You also tried to feed me bread before my stitches started falling out,” she mumbled sarcastically.

“That was your  _ mother’s _ idea,  _ not _ mine!” he defended, voice going a little squeaky while Noctis and Gladio cracked up and even Ignis smiled. Aurora and Prompto’s extremely close friendship was a never-ending source of entertainment for them.

“So, Prompto will stay behind and the rest of us will hunt,” Ignis decided. “Very well then. We ought to get started while we’re still ahead of the day.”

“Yeah. Okay,” Noctis said.

The five of them finished breakfast and then moved to leave. Aurora hung at the back of the group to make sure everyone got ushered out and no one left anything in the booth—like the keys to the Regalia or anything loose in pockets—and thanked the staff of Takka’s before following at the back.

“Prompto!” she hissed, grabbing her friend by the wrist and dragging him away from the others.

The movement shot him back into their childhood.

* * *

_ “Prompto!” Aurora Aubade exclaimed, catching his right hand and wrist in her small hands. Her pigtails were a little messy from a day at school but she was smiling. _

_ “H-hi, Aurora,” Prompto said, trying to subtly remove his wrist from her grip. _

_ “Hi! Listen, my parents said I could bring a friend to the movies for my birthday and… I, uh…” She looked down at her shoes. “I was wondering if you’d like to go. I… don’t have any other friends.” _

_ Prompto stared at her in alarm. “You don’t?” She was always so bright and friendly that he found that hard to believe that she didn’t have any other friends. As it was, he was barely friends with her. They worked together on some school stuff but that was because they didn’t want to talk to anyone else. _

_ She shook her head. “Uh-uh,” she said. Then she perked up. “But do you want to go with us?” _

_ “Uh… sure.” _

_ She beamed. “Great! Thanks!” She tore away from him to run off—and then froze. Turning, she held something out. “Sorry. Pulled this off.” _

_ His wristband. _

_ Prompto immediately hid his right wrist behind his back and took it from her with his left hand. “It’s fine,” he mumbled, putting the wristband on while still hiding his hands. _

_ “Give me your address after school and we’ll come get you, ‘kay?” _

_ “Yeah, okay.” Prompto fidgeted with his hands, picking at his nails. _

_ “Do you need to ask your mom?” _

_ “No. They won’t even notice. They’re never home.” _

_ “O-oh. Okay. I’ll see you after school!” She giggled, beaming, and ran off. _

_ “B… bye,” Prompto muttered, staring after her. _

* * *

He’d had no idea at the time that a simple conversation like an invitation to go to the movies would blossom into the friendship they’d sustained. Prompto was clumsy at talking to every girl except her. When they were ten she’d realized he was hiding something under his wristband. But she never pried about it. Just started wearing a wide brown leather bracelet on her own right wrist along with her hair ties so he “wouldn’t feel alone.”

He caught sight of her newer, black leather bracelet that he’d given her for her twentieth birthday as she pulled him around Takka’s and away from the others.

“What’s going on, Rory?” he asked.

She pulled him to a stop and planted her hands on his shoulders, letting his wrist go.

“When were you going to tell me you have Hanahaki Disease?!” she demanded quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I was gonna wait a week to update but... I couldn't XD LOL
> 
> Also, shoutout to CelestialCelly for being, like, the best commenter!


	8. Chapter 8

Prompto stared at me like I’d gone crazy. “Uh… what?” he asked.

“You coughed up a flower petal, Prompto!” I said, trying to be quiet.

“Yeah I probably inhaled it on the drive in the car,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “No way. You would have noticed. Besides, you heard Ignis: daffodils aren’t native to around here. When were you going to _tell_ me? I’m the _healer!_ ” I wanted to grab his shoulders and shake some sense into him.

“Wait… Hanahaki Disease is that flowers-in-the-lungs thing we read about in that Honors Lit class you made me take, right? The one about unrequited love in that really boring romance we were forced to read?”

“Yeah.”

“Rory that disease is _fictional,_ remember? Our teacher said so.”

 _“No_ —our teacher said it was _legendary_. That means it might have some basis in reality.”

“I _don’t_ have _flowers_ in my lungs, Aurora.” Prompto gave me the most serious gaze he’d given me since I passed out yesterday. “Hanahaki Disease isn’t real. _Six_ , Rory, you’re the healer—you should _know_ that!”

I wished I could keep it from him for longer. But if he had it… Ardyn wasn’t lying.

“Oh really? Then explain this,” I retorted. I put my hands to my mouth and coughed once. Hard. Two dahlia heads fell into my hands. I displayed them to Prompto.

He gasped and took a step away from me. “R… Rory…”

I shoved the heads into my pocket. “Yeah. It’s real. Now. Give me a good cough. A few of them.”

Prompto knew better than to refuse me when I used my “professional healer” voice so he wrapped an arm around his mouth and coughed hard. His eyes, tinted violet in the summer sunlight, widened in surprise and fear. When he put his elbow down, several more petals were stuck to his arm hairs.

Smugly, I folded my arms. “Remember, Prom, I know my stuff.”

He huffed. “I’ll never doubt you again.” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on me.

“If you two are gonna start kissing over there, I’d find a more private spot if I were you!” Noctis called as he jumped into the front seat of the Regalia.

“How very dare him,” I said, unable to drum up the lung power or energy to shout the prince’s full name at him.

“Noct, royally buzz off!” Prompto shouted. I snorted.

He gave us finger guns. Ignis pulled out of Hammerhead and they drove off. I rolled my eyes. “Can you shoot him?” I asked Prompto.

“Not in public,” Prompto said. “I’ve shot at him plenty in training but never lethally.”

“C’mon. Let’s go inside. I wanna give you an exam as best I can. See how bad your condition is,” I said. I pulled him by the wrist towards the caravan. He followed me up the stairs and into the trailer. I sat him down on the sofa and pulled my healer bag out from a pile of our stuff.

“Rory, I’m fine,” Prompto said.

“You say now. But the second this disease makes your life harder, you’ll be singing a different song,” I retorted. “Shirt off. Turn around.”

Prompto complied, stripping his vest and shirt off. I pulled my stethoscope from my bag and popped the eartips in my ears. “How long have you had it?” he asked quietly as I pressed the bell to his back.

“‘Bout a week,” I said. “Big breath in.” He inhaled. “And out.” He exhaled.

“A week? Why haven’t you told us?!”

“Because it’s none of anyone else’s business! I’m the healer—no one else needs to know about my medical problems.” I cleared my throat and picked a few petals from my mouth, shoving them in my pocket. “Big breath in… and out…” I listened to his other lung. I was going to get all the lobes in. “In… and out… in… and out…” Biting my lip, I listened intensely. I could hear the petals fluttering with his breath.

“Rory?”

“Hmm?” I pulled my stethoscope from my ears and let them snap around the back of my neck.

“How does Hanahaki work?”

He sounded scared.

“The roots are planted in our lungs. They’ll get deeper the longer we have it. Slowly the flowers will fill our airways until…” I cleared my throat again and threw more petals into my pocket. “Until we can’t breathe anymore and suffocate. Every breath along the way smelling and tasting like flowers.”

“No, I… I remember that from that story in Honors Lit but… do we really contract it from unrequited love?”

“Sort of. I guess. Unrequited love and… and some magical intervention probably. The Astrals or… someone powerful.” _Like Ardyn_ , I thought.

“Can I… can I ask who yours are for? Your flowers—I mean, feelings?”

I pressed my tongue to the back of my teeth as I turned Prompto around to listen to his front through my stethoscope. “You’ll just laugh.”

“Hey, Crownsguard’s honor that I won’t. And I’m your best friend.”

“Being my best friend is exactly why you would,” I retorted.

“No! C’mon, Rory. Cross my heart, I won’t.”

I took a deep breath. As deep a breath as I could take. “It’s silly.”

“Pleeease?”

I sighed. “Ignis. The flowers are for Ignis.”

*****

Prompto coughed. Of course she was in love with Ignis. The guy was Mr. Perfect. Polite, refined, strong, smart, classy, sassy, mildly funny when he could be bothered to make a joke. What kind of woman like Aurora wouldn’t be interested? She and Ignis had a lot in common. The smart ones who cared for everyone else. The responsible one and the healer.

Prompto coughed harder. Of course her flowers weren’t for him. If they were, then their feelings would be requited and they wouldn’t have the stupid disease.

That didn’t stop his heart from breaking.

For a moment, he swore he could feel the flowers in his lungs growing faster. Like his breath was fluttering the petals.

He hummed in thought.

“What’s wrong?” Aurora asked.

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

There was a moment of silence. “Okay Prom. I told you who my flowers are for. Who are yours for?”

He blurted out the first name that popped into his head. “Cindy,” he lied. He couldn’t tell her they were for her. Not when hers weren’t for him. He didn’t want to utterly ruin their friendship. Heck, the two of them at a carnival two weeks before they left Insomnia for the road trip was still his phone wallpaper—the two of them wearing each other’s sunglasses with her giving him a piggyback ride. Noctis had taken the picture.

Aurora chuckled. “That’s what I thought. But I figured I’d ask.”

He cleared his throat. “R-really?” He hoped she didn’t notice his voice break.

She giggled. “C’mon, Prom. I’ve known you since we were kids. You ogled her the second we saw her.”

“Well she came out of the garage half-naked. I was startled,” Prompto said.

“Sheltered and innocent, more like,” Aurora mumbled under her breath.

“Hey!” he protested.

“What? It’s not like you never saw me half-naked. We’ve gone swimming before.”

“Yeah but, like, you wear a one-piece suit that covers… basically all of your modesty. I have never once seen you in just a bra, jacket, and short shorts.”

Aurora snorted. “Haven’t you seen me in just my bra before? I swear you’ve walked in on me changing at least once.”

“Uh… maybe. You’d think I’d remember something like that.”

“Maybe seeing me half-dressed scarred you so bad you literally repressed it. No one wants to see me half-dressed.”

Prompto squeaked. “I… I’m sure you look fine,” he said. He shook his head to shake the image that popped up out of his imagination.

The squeak made Aurora laugh. She pulled out an otoscope and turned the light on. “Open wide and say ‘Ah.’”

“Aaaaahhhhh,” Prompto droned.

“No inflammation. Yet. Hopefully you’re not allergic to flowers.”

“I’m not. I used to come visit you in the flower shop all the time.”

“I know. But that’s been a couple years and I didn’t get allergies to pollen in the spring till I turned nineteen.” She tucked the otoscope into her bag and put the stethoscope back into her ears. “Set this on my back, would you?” She handed him the end and pulled her shirt up on the back, showing the back of her bra. She wasn’t a fighter. Her back didn’t have as many scars as Prompto’s and the other guys’. She had a few—but they were tiny and looked like she maybe she fell on a rock.

In fact she had. When they were twelve. He remembered it.

“Tell me where,” he said.

She guided his hand and then listened to her own breathing.

*****

I sighed, hearing my lungs shudder with the fluttering of flower petals. “Oh Six,” I muttered.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Prompto asked, sounding frantic.

“There’re a lot of flowers in there,” I said quietly.

“Can I hear?”

I pulled the stethoscope eartips out of my ears. “I mean, sure. If you can. It takes a practiced ear,” I said. I passed him the eartips under my arm.

“Breathe in. And out.”

I complied. After listening to Prompto’s lungs, the bell of the stethoscope had taken on some of his body heat and was warm against my skin.

“WHOA!” Prompto exclaimed. “That’s trippy! It sounds like you got tons of butterflies in there all flying around!”

I chuckled—I couldn’t help it. His surprise had always been amusing to me.

“Yeah,” I said, lowering my shirt back down again. “Yeah it kinda does.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone in this story is mildly an idiot and I love all of them. Hope you enjoy! (As usual, let me know about any typos or missing words and I'll do my best to fix it!)
> 
> I don't know why occasionally there are random spaces between the words and the punctuation but I promise I didn't write it like that.


	9. Chapter 9

_ “Miss Aubade?” a familiar voice asked from behind me. I turned to see Ignis Scientia standing at the entrance to the Citadel infirmary. _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ “Do you have a moment to address a medical problem?” _

_ “‘Pends on what it is,” I mused, buttoning the front of my white healer coat. _

_ “A dislocated shoulder. Nothing more.” He gestured to his right shoulder with his left hand, wincing slightly. _

_ “Oh my word—of course!” I exclaimed, taking him by his left wrist over to the rolling stool I usually sat on to perform exams. “Mind if I get this button-down off so I can feel the injury better?” _

_ “Not at all. My thanks for asking first.” _

_ I shrugged. “Don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” _

_ He helped me unbutton his shirt and slide his right arm out of the sleeve. I left the other side on since I didn’t need to take it off. _

_ Ignis was a lot more muscular than I would have pegged him to be, given how lean and slim he was. But his muscles under my hands were wiry and strong as I felt for the dislocation. “Okay, I really need you to relax. I know it hurts but it’ll make this easier,” I said, putting on my Professional Soothing Healer™ voice. _

_ He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a sigh. The tension in his shoulder eased out. _

_“Great. On the count of three, I’m gonna pop it back in. One—”_ _The loud_ CRACK _of his shoulder relocating made me clench my jaw. Didn’t matter how many joints I relocated, grinding bone was an uncomfortable sound._

_ Ignis cried out, his other hand clenching into a fist in the knee of his trousers. The muscles in his jaw worked hard to keep him from speaking, probably. After a moment, he exhaled. “Much better. You have my thanks, Miss Aubade,” he said. _

_ I shrugged. “It’s my job, Mr. Scientia. And, please, Aurora is fine. Rory is too, but Aurora’s fine,” I said. _

_ “In that case, call me Ignis.” _

_ “Okay. Ignis it is. I know I’m probably not supposed to ask too many questions, but how’d you dislocate your shoulder?” _

_ “Crownsguard training.” _

_ “Ah. Fair enough. Try to be careful, okay?” _

_ “I will.” _

_ “Good. That makes my job that much easier.” I smiled. “Don’t be reckless and you won’t need healing.” _

_ “Gladio is more the reckless one.” _

_ “Oh I know. That Amicitia boy’s been here three times this week already,” I said. “Admittedly one of those times he brought a younger trainee in with a broken nose. Although…” I snickered. “Gladio was the one who  _ broke _ the kid’s nose so…” I shook my head. “Don’t tell anyone I told you that.” _

_ Ignis smiled, easing his arm back into his sleeve. “I won’t. I’m aware of what Gladio’s been up to recently. If he’s not more careful, he’s going to find himself seriously injured,” he mused quietly. _

_ “Mm,” I hummed in agreement. _

_ Ignis shook his head. “Anyway. I should return to duties. Much to do.” _

_ “Right,” I said. _

_ He got off the stool and went over to the door. Pausing at the frame, he twisted back to look at me. “Thank you again, Miss—Aurora.” _

_ I smiled. ‘“You’re welcome, Ignis.” _

* * *

“You should be more careful,” I said, wrapping Ignis’ bleeding forearm with bandages, memories of a hundred times of healing before tumbling through my head.

“Duly noted, Aurora,” Ignis replied.

I sighed. “Does Noct even know you got hurt?”

Ignis watched me work with rapt attention. It was almost unnerving. “I didn’t see the need to trouble him.”

“Ignis. If he doesn’t know you’re hurt, he can’t lead the group properly,” I said quietly. I cleared my throat, feeling a couple petals escape that were quickly stowed in my pocket. Outside, Prompto, Noctis, and Gladio were playing  _ King’s Knight _ in the warm summer evening. I could hear them shouting at each other.

“Says the woman who didn’t tell us she had a cold until right before she collapsed,” he retorted. There was a playful note to his tone so I knew he wasn’t  _ actually _ scolding me for keeping my illness to myself.

Two peas in a pod—not telling anyone when something was wrong.

I made a face. “Fair enough,” I grumbled. Ignis chuckled quietly. I popped open a potion and handed it to him. “Drink up. It’ll stop the bleeding and speed up the healing process.” He accepted it and took a long swallow. I sat down to inspect the smaller cut on his knee for any signs of infection.

“Aurora,” he said quietly.

“Hm?”

“Do remember to take care of yourself. Please. We would be devastated to lose you. All of us.”

“It’s just a cold, Iggy,” I muttered, cleaning out the cut before the potion could take affect and heal over any infection.

“Perhaps. But they can lead to worse if one isn’t careful,” he said. “I can’t imagine how profusely Prompto would weep should you be taken from us before your time.” His hand rested on my shoulder. “We may not be the most skilled at expressing it, but we do need you, Aurora.”

“Would  _ you _ cry for me?” I asked impulsively, speaking so fast my words almost blended together.

Ignis’ eyes flicked to mine. “Of course,” he said. “Though I occasionally seem indifferent, you  _ are _ my  _ friend _ , Aurora.”

I smiled—and then dissolved into a coughing fit, clapping my hands over my mouth.  _ Crap _ , I thought, spewing flowers and petals into my palms.  _ That’s one way to ruin the moment _ .

Ignis patted my back comfortingly. “Are you alright?” he asked quietly.

When the fit quieted, I nodded. “Fine. Totally fine,” I said. “I’m gonna wash my hands outside so I don’t get any germs in the sink in here.” I got up and went to the door. Ignis got up and opened it for me. “Thanks.” My ears got warm and probably turned red as I descended the stairs.

“Hey Rory! Wanna play?” Prompto asked, gesturing to his phone.

“I got work to do,” I replied with a smile. “Gladio’s still bleeding!”

“Am not!” Gladio retorted.

I raised my eyebrow at him and nodded to his chest. “You are too. Let me wash my hands and I’ll be right back to patch you up.”

Around the back of the caravan was a water spigot that had some soap next to it. I shredded the flowers so they went down the little makeshift drain and then washed my hands. After they were clean I took a breather. The coughing made my breathing labored from the sheer effort of it while I couldn’t get enough oxygen.

I wondered if Ignis really  _ would _ cry for me if I died. It almost seemed fanciful. Ignis was calm, collected, and put-together. Sometimes his cool, professional demeanor made me wonder if he even had emotions.

The tickle in my throat made me cough again—and I threw up another glob of flowers from my lungs. Thankfully it was quiet enough that the boys shouldn’t have been able to hear me.

I needed some water.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I texted Prompto.  _ Can you bring me my water bottle please _ ?

_ Sure thing. One sec. _

Panting, I sat and leaned against the back wall of the caravan, grateful that the back windows were placed in such a way that if Ignis looked out he wouldn’t be able to see me—or the wad of dahlias I sent down the drain.

Prompto appeared, holding my water bottle. “The guys are getting suspicious about you,” he said, plopping down next to me and handing me my bottle. I accepted it gratefully and took several long drinks. He bent his knees and rested his elbows on them, fingers loosely laced together.

“That right?”

“Gladio just said that he thinks you’re worse than you’re letting on. Even Noct noticed you’re a little pale… _ er _ than usual.”

I coughed once, three petals flying out of my mouth to land on my lap. One of them got caught in my hair where it had fallen over my shoulder while I’d thrown up the flowers. I sighed.

“‘M tryin’, Prom. Tryin’ to be as normal as possible. I don’t need the guys to worry about me.”

“You gonna tell Iggy how you feel?”

“Probably not. I mean… maybe? I feel like if I tell him how I feel… he might figure out what’s wrong with me. And… I don’t want to… ruin any possibility I have of getting cured. I feel like natural and organic is the way to go.”

“You think you can get him to fall for you?” Prompto asked quietly.

“You doubt my feminine charm?” I joked.

“No! No. I don’t. It’s just… I don’t know. It’s Ignis.” He shrugged. “He’s not the most… expressive.”

I made a face. “I know. But I still have a couple weeks.” I cleared my throat. “What about you? You gonna tell Cindy?”

Prompto hung his head between his elbows. “I don’t know. I think she’s too married to her work,” he said.

“Prom, if it has the  _ possibility _ of saving your  _ life _ … don’t you think it’s worth a shot?”

“Don’t  _ you _ ?” he countered.

“It’s not the same for me.”

“How is it not the same?!”

I shrugged. “I’m the healer. It’s literally my job to take care of you guys. Keep you safe and healthy. I can and will sacrifice whatever I need to in order to make sure you guys are okay. I can tell you to tell Cindy because it’s worth a shot but for me…” I shook my head. “Tell Cindy. She might surprise you.”

Prompto looked up and reached over, squeezing my shoulder tight. “Aurora, I don’t want to  _ lose _ you. If you don’t tell Ignis soon, you’re gonna die. Did it ever occur to you that losing my best friend would devastate me and be detrimental to my health?”

“You’ll be fine, Prompto. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. Besides, you’ll be too busy pursuing Cindy. And if-slash-when she finally falls for you, you’ll be too happy with her to even be sad that I’m gone.”

“ _ No _ , Rory… I…” He sighed and shook his head. “My whole life, all I ever wanted was friends. You were the only one who ever wanted me back before I befriended Noct and the others. You really think I could lose someone I love as much as I love you and not be affected by it?”

“You’re strong enough to get over it.”

“Rory don’t just resign yourself to your fate!”

“I’m not. I’m going to have as much fun as I can with the time I have left to me and definitely still flirt in hopes that something might just tip the scale in Ignis’ heart for me. But if he doesn’t fall for me… well. Maybe we just weren’t meant to be.”

“Rory… Usually ‘not meant to be’ ends in a broken heart that mends over time—not a  _ death sentence _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooo boy. Everyone in this story is just a bit of an idiot (including but not limited to: Prompto, Aurora, and Ignis). I love them so much.
> 
> Anyway, I was gonna wait a couple days to update but... I think I finished writing this fic. (Don't panic—this is NOT the last chapter.) I'm not one of those people who posts a chapter as soon as I'm done writing it. I write a lot of chapters ahead so I can TRY (keyword, right there) to have a somewhat consistent update schedule, and I think I've finished everything. All the endings are now completed and just waiting to be posted. It's kind of a whacky feeling (I never finish fics).
> 
> Notwithstanding the fact that this thing is nearly 100 pages long on its own (kinda single-spaced), I considered this a short fic compared to what I usually write (but don't necessarily publish because, again y'all, I never finish anything).
> 
> Enjoy! If you have any questions, let me know! If I left out any words or made a typo, PLEASE tell me so I can fix it. I say that all the time but I mean it. I want the most coherent experience possible for you guys in hopes that it makes it a little easier to enjoy.
> 
> OKAY longer note than usual but I actually had stuff to say for once. I'm out! Peace!


	10. Chapter 10

I glanced over from the bed that Noct, Prompto, and I all managed to share—since we were the smallest—to where Gladio and Ignis were sleeping. Ignis was nearest me, bangs flopping over his forehead and glasses on the bedside table. He seemed so peaceful and relaxed when he was asleep. More so than when he was awake.

It was rare to see Ignis relaxed. If the boys thought  _ I _ was uptight they clearly needed to take a closer look at the gears in Ignis’ mind. He was wound so taut he was bound to snap at some point.

Maybe that was just another thing we had in common.

There were times, though, when he was awake, that he was remarkably at ease and carefree.

* * *

_ “What do you mean I’ve been invited to the Winter Solstice Ball?” I asked my mom as I pressed my healer’s coat to iron out the wrinkles. _

_ “Oh they always invite at least two healers to have on-hand in case something bad happens. Like getting drunk and someone shattering a champagne flute right into their hand,” Mom replied. _

_ “Oddly specific,” I said. _

_ “Well… it’s happened twice. One of the lords has… little impulse control when he’s had too much to drink.” _

_ “And they’re inviting me?” _

_ “Well, sweetie, you’re young but you’ve got it where it counts. Honestly I think they want more pretty young people instead of all us older folks.” _

_ “Mom! You’re not  _ that _ old!” I protested with a laugh. _

_ “No, and I don’t feel it, but I do look it,” Mom said, gesturing to the laugh lines around her eyes. _

_ “Liar,” I said with a laugh. _

_ Two weeks later I found myself in a flowing silver evening gown, ignoring the waiters’ continued attempts at offering me something to drink. Technically I was on-duty. And I didn’t drink alcohol anyway. It was a beautiful party. The doors to the balcony were open to let the cool winter breeze into the hot ballroom at the Citadel. Mom had helped me with the dress and I felt a little ridiculous. I wasn’t really a “fancy” person. I liked my healer clothes since they were loose and comfortable. I didn’t wear heels and preferred my hair pulled back. _

_ So standing in a fancy dress with heels and my hair hanging loose… I felt out of my element. _

_ “Evening, Aurora,” a voice said. “Lovely night, don’t you think?” _

_ “Yeah. It’s a beautiful party,” I agreed. “Hi, Ignis.” _

_ He looked incredibly dapper. Crisp tuxedo with a black bowtie tied to perfection, spiked bangs resting down over his forehead and swooped out of his eyes for the evening. He even appeared to be wearing a pair of fancier glasses. _

_ “If it’s such a beautiful party, why do you look like you’re ready to run at the first available opportunity?” _

_ “You always so observant?” _

_ “I attempt to be.” _

_ I chuckled. “This isn’t my crowd. I’ve handled injuries and even childbirth when Mrs. Corpus went into labor while she was working at the Citadel kitchen. But smiling and socializing with high-class people? I’m not used to it.” _

_ “Perhaps removing yourself from the bulk of the crowd would ease your discomfort?” Ignis suggested. _

_ I shrugged. “I mean, maybe. But I can’t leave. I’m one of the healers-on-duty.” _

_ “I wasn’t suggesting you leave.” _

_ “What  _ were _ you suggesting, then?” I asked with a grin. _

_ He offered me his hand. “May I have this dance, Miss Aubade?” _

_ I blinked several times in quick succession in surprise. “You may.” Taking his hand, I let him lead me to the dancefloor. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder blade and held my other hand up to eye level. I pushed back against his hand the way I’d been taught. _

_ He smiled. “Ah. So you know how to dance.” _

_ “I’ve done a few classes, yeah,” I said, smiling. _

_ The waltz was simple. It was a twisting box step with quite a bit of travel but wasn’t following a single progressive line of dance. More following Ignis’ whims and going whichever way he fancied. Ignis was quick and precise, elegantly pulling me out of the way of other dancing couples with motions so smooth I didn’t even get the chance to step on his toes. I wasn’t the  _ best _ dancer, but I was more practiced than Prompto. _

_ “Not bad,” Ignis said. “Is your anxiety easing out?” _

_ “I think so. It’s easier to not be anxious when I have a good partner,” I said. _

_ “And am I a good partner?” _

_ “Probably the most skilled I’ve ever had,” I said. _

_ “Indeed? Well, thank you, Aurora.” _

_ As we waltzed around the dancefloor, I caught sight of Prompto standing in a formal uniform a step behind Noctis. When he saw me and I smiled, he gave me a thumbs-up. I bounced my eyebrows with a wide grin in acknowledgment. _

_ “It seems you’ve caught that young man’s eye,” Ignis remarked. “Are you acquainted?” _

_ “Who, Prompto?” _

_ “Ah. You know his name at least.” _

_ I laughed. “Ignis, Prompto and I have been friends since we were kids. Nine or ten, I think. He just knows how much I love dancing and how  _ bad _ he is at being my partner. I’ve tried to teach him a couple times and… every time I end up with bruised feet from getting stepped on.” _

_ “I see. I was unaware that you were friends.” _

_ “Yeah. I try to keep my personal and professional lives separate but… yeah. He’s my best friend. And he works here too. So… sometimes the separation isn’t as effective.” _

_ Ignis chuckled. “Well, I’m grateful you do have a friend here. Both of you. It does no one any good to be alone.” _

* * *

No it doesn’t. But I was alone, late at night, awake while everyone else slept, staring at a man I was fairly sure I couldn’t have. Sure I was an introvert and got my energy from being alone, but that didn’t mean I didn’t love hanging out with Prompto when we were younger and the other three as we got older. Hanging out with Prompto was so low-key that it was basically “me time.” It required no energy. Most days we’d hang out in our pajamas for all we cared.

I sighed, a few dahlia petals escaping, and rolled onto my other side. Prompto was facing me. There were a few daffodil petals on his pillow. Vaguely I recalled hearing him coughing a few minutes before. While I was lost in thought remembering how relaxed Ignis looked at that ball despite the rigid formality of a waltz.

I slid out of bed and out of the caravan—putting on shoes this time and being much quieter than I’d been the night before when I’d needed to purge a lot of flowers fast. 

Once outside, I curled up on one of the plastic lawn chairs and gazed over the sleeping Hammerhead. It was a bit chilly outside but the breeze that blew was actually pretty warm compared to the cool night air.

A small, battery-powered radio was sitting on the plastic table between all the plastic chairs. It was turned off. I fiddled with the dials to turn the volume down before turning it on. I hadn’t seen a radio like this in a long time—usually we just used the radio apps on our phones.

I twisted the tuner until I found the classical station. My dad used to listen to it on his way to the Citadel where he worked as a Crownsguard.

Closing my eyes, I listened to the soft classical music. Nothing better than a gentle orchestra.

_ If it has the possibility of saving your life… don’t you think it’s worth a shot? _ Why couldn’t I follow my own advice? Telling Prompto to confess to Cindy while not wanting to tell Ignis myself. Was I  _ that _ scared of Ignis’ rejection that I would risk my own life? Apparently. I wondered if Prompto would get fed up with my crap and, like a true best friend, tell Ignis  _ for _ me.

Six, I hoped not.

“Can’t sleep either?” a familiar voice asked.

I turned to see Ignis in his pajamas just inside the open door of the caravan. I hadn’t even heard it open.

“You were asleep a minute ago,” I said.

“Correct. However, I heard the door close and it woke me.”

I cleared my throat. “Sorry. I was trying not to wake anyone.”

“It’s not your fault. I’ve always been a light sleeper.” He sat in another plastic lawn chair near me and crossed his legs. “What’s troubling you?” He folded his arms over his chest, glasses reflecting the stars.

I shrugged. “Just my cold. It’s kinda hard to breathe.”

“You don’t sound like you have a congested nose.”

“It’s not my nose. I got, like, a wad of crap in my throat.”

The corner of Ignis’ mouth quirked. “For a professional healer, you don’t use particularly medical jargon,” he said.

I snickered—and cleared my throat behind my fist. “Guess I’m just used to trying to tell Noct, Prompto, and Gladio what’s up with their injuries in terms they’d understand. And I don’t have to be one-hundred-percent professional one-hundred-percent of the time,” I said. Ignis opened his mouth, but I cut him off. “I’m not you.”

He smiled genuinely this time. “That is very true, Aurora. You and I have many similarities, I’ve observed, however you do tend to…  _ loosen up _ better than I do,” he mused thoughtfully.

I turned my gaze to the sky. “It’s exhausting to be constantly uptight. Gotta unwind sometime,” I said.

“Indeed,” he agreed.

“Do you ever unwind?”

That made him snort quietly. “Not often. Not out here. Out here I’m constantly on-duty. I have no time.”

“Well… you could… I dunno. Take a break?” I suggested. “Skip out on a hunt the next time we’re at a hotel to have a nice soothing bath or something. Maybe swipe one of Gladio’s books.”

“I suppose. However, I don’t think my sitting out would be wise. It’s not that I don’t trust you, Prompto, and Gladio to keep Noct safe without me. It’s just…” He turned his gaze up to the stars. “I’m the strategist. It’s my duty to come up with the plans and carry them out.”

“I get it, Iggy,” I said. “I just thought… you’re working pretty hard. You deserve a break to relax a little and take care of yourself. Potions can’t ease out tense muscles. Maybe we should go to Galdin and get you a massage while the rest of us play on the beach.”

“Right now I can think of one thing that would help me unwind.”

“Oh?”

He unfolded his long legs and got to his feet, offering me his hand. “Dance with me? Just for a moment?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, yo, quick note that has nothing to do with this chapter: when I post the true ending to this (the first of several alternate endings), I'm going to Mark this story as "Complete" but will still be posting alternate endings until I run out of them. At the last alternate ending, I will Say that it's the last and Then the story will be truly done! Just letting you know that even when it says "Complete," there will still be more to come until I say the endings are all well and truly over!
> 
> Hope you have a good time reading this!


	11. Chapter 11

Even a short dance to the last minute of a song left me short of breath. I hid it pretty well as Ignis turned off the radio, forcing my body to take longer, even breaths. We went back into the caravan and bedded down for the rest of the night. There were so many flowers in my lungs that I was exhausted from the effort and the lack of oxygen.

I gathered up the petals around Prompto’s mouth and tucked them away when Ignis’ back was turned. After they were safely out-of-sight, I passed out.

*****

Prompto woke up to cough. It was still dark out. He was tired and his breathing was labored. He didn’t even bother to check the time. Darkness meant night and that meant sleep. He just needed to cough and he’d be fine to go back to bed.

Aurora shuffled in her sleep next to him. Her mouth was open so she could breathe better, but she was struggling. Short, shallow breaths accompanied by the occasional deep inhale and long sigh as her body fought to get the proper amount of oxygen. A small crease had appeared between her brows. He hadn’t seen her that tense in sleep since she was studying for her exams to finish the formal part of her healing education.

He cleared his throat as quietly as he could and bit his lip.

With one hand, he reached out and brushed the tips of his fingers over the hair that had fallen in her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“It’s you, Aurora,” he whispered, so quiet he couldn’t even hear himself. “It’s you I’m in love with.”

She didn’t wake.

He ran his fingers soothingly through her hair until the line between her eyebrows eased out. She sighed, unconsciously nuzzling against his hand. He knew that was probably just her sleeping brain automatically reacting to the comfort, but it didn’t stop his heart from skipping a beat.

Prompto closed his eyes. “I love you, Rory.”

*****

It was futile to pretend that if I just kept my eyes closed the boys would ignore me and let me catch a couple extra minutes of sleep before we headed out.

That didn’t mean I didn’t try. Noctis occasionally even got away with it. So, in theory, I should have been able to as well. I mean, I wasn’t  _ the prince of Lucis _ or anything, but at the very least the boys knew I was sick.

Which was probably why I woke up to hushed whispers and gentle rays of dawn fighting to be seen through the closed blinds. I shuffled in my sleep and rolled onto my other side. Normally, with the three smallest of us sharing one of the beds, I could feel Noctis and Prompto’s warmth.

But this morning, the rest of the bed was cold.

Confused, I peeled my eyes open. “Wha’s… goin’ on?” I mumbled, voice groggy from sleep.

I felt a familiar pair of fingerless gloves and fingertips run through my messy hair. “Glad you finally decided to join the land of the living, Rory,” Prompto said with a playful smile. “We were getting worried that you’d never wake up.”

“Isn’t that why you guys shake me on slow mornings?” I joked.

That made him giggle quietly. “Fair point.” He leaned down to give me a hug. “Don’t scare me like that. I was worried,” he whispered in my ear.

“Sorry. Sleep just felt good.”

“Ain’t that a mood.”

I smiled.

“Hey, Iggy made you some toast for breakfast. Hungry?”

I pulled in a deep breath. “Yeah,” I said. “Yeah I am.”

“Great. Can I…?” He helped me sit up before I could say yes or no. Which was nice of him because even just that, at this point, would make me pant. While I got dressed he turned away—which I found pointless because I could still swear he’d seen me get changed before—and then brushed some loose hair out of my face while we went outside.

The day was passed in peace for me and Prompto after the other guys left for a hunt nearby. We spent most of it sitting in the sun on our phones, pointedly not talking about our condition, despite our near-constant coughing. I didn’t want to get in another argument about whether or not we should tell the target of our feelings how we felt. So Prompto played games and I did as much research on Hanahaki Disease as I could. There wasn’t much factual information known. Most of what I found was the product of fiction stories. Neither of us had much of an appetite so we snacked a little but didn’t have any real meals.

When the others came back we had dinner and turned in for the night.

“Aurora,” Ignis said quietly while the other boys were getting ready, “perhaps it would be best for you to remain here. Or in Lestallum.”

“Why?” I asked.

“We came for a few days to see if you would recover from your cold. But, if anything, you’ve gotten worse. It would be dangerous for you to be out in the wild with us on hunts when clearly you’re having trouble breathing.”

“No. I am not staying here. You guys need me. I’m the healer.” I held up my hand as he opened his mouth to protest. “I don’t want to hear an argument, Iggy. If I have to wait at the Regalia for you guys to come back, that’s what I’ll do; but I am not staying here. Or in Lestallum.”

Ignis sighed. “You are so stubborn.”

I shrugged. “Part of my Aubade charm.” I giggled. Then shook my head. “Actually the stubbornness comes from the Auburnbrie side—I get it from my mom.”

“You’re an Auburnbrie? Like Dave? That hunter we ran into when we first came out here?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We’re…  _ second _ cousins once removed, I think? I think his grandfather is my great-grandfather and my grandpa is his uncle or something.”

“Fascinating. I had no idea.”

“Yeah… never came up.” I shrugged again. “G’night, Ignis.”

“Good night, Aurora.”

Normally I slept on one side of the bed since Prompto preferred being in the middle, but through a series of random shenanigans, I ended up sandwiched between Prompto and Noctis. I didn’t have the energy to protest so I just went with it.

I fell asleep fast too.

*****

“She’s not getting any better,” Ignis whispered as soon as Aurora was asleep. Prompto glanced back at where she was curled up on her side. “In fact, I believe she’s getting worse.”

“She’ll power through it,” Noctis reasoned.

“That’s the  _ problem _ , though, Noct,” Ignis said. “Powering through might be dangerous. It could accelerate her condition.”

Gladio flopped down with his book. “She’ll be fine. She’s tough.”

“No… I agree with Iggy,” Prompto said quietly. “She’s trying real hard to make it seem like she’s okay. But I don’t think she is. I think she’s worse than she’s letting on.” He curled up on the bed next to her, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “She’s spent so long taking care of us that she forgets to take care of herself.”

“Are you agreeing that we ought to find somewhere safe to leave her behind?” Ignis asked.

“No!” Prompto replied, probably too quickly. “You know her better than that. She would probably literally rather die than be left behind.”  _ And apparently she’d also literally rather die than tell you she has feelings for you, _ he added silently. Bitterly.

“Then what do you propose we do?” Ignis asked, vaguely curious as to what the answer would be. Prompto was the kind of person whose loyalty was unwavering, but didn’t mind letting his opinion be known when it came to safety, even if that meant disagreeing with his friends.

“We bring her along, but keep her out of the fights. Like it or not, she’s still a top-notch healer and by the  _ Six, _ we need her.”

“Hear, hear,” Noctis agreed, climbing into bed on Aurora’s other side and almost instantly passing out.

“I mean, Prompto’s right,” Gladio said. “We barely survived these hunts without her the past couple days. I, for one, don’t want to see what would happen if we were too far away to get to her in time.” He shrugged and climbed under the covers. “Somethin’ to consider.”

“Indeed,” Ignis mused. He climbed in bed and closed his eyes, signalling the end of the conversation. That left Prompto alone sitting on top of the covers, staring at the wall and not feeling terribly tired.

He was trying  _ really hard _ not to resent Ignis. It wasn’t Ignis’ fault that Aurora was in love with him—even though it kind of was.

And it wasn’t Ignis’ fault she was dying because of it.

But that didn’t mean Prompto wasn’t angry that her unrequited feelings for Ignis could ultimately take her from him prematurely or jealous that she had romantic feelings for Ignis instead of him. He tried not to be jealous—he knew very well that she didn’t owe his feelings for her anything. He wanted to respect that as her friend and as the girl he’d fallen for. But at the same time, it was hard not to be jealous, because the girl he was in love with was in love with someone else.

Prompto glanced at Aurora over his arm. She was facing him, looking peaceful despite her labored breathing. Much better than the worry etched into her face the night before.

He brushed a few stray strands out of her face before climbing into bed and falling asleep with his back to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was my birthday sometime this past week (teehee) so I figured I'd update again as a little reverse-birthday-present (shoutout to @welovegroot on Tumblr, my wonderful beta reader, for that joke)
> 
> Lotta double-line breaks in this one. Hopefully it's easy to keep track of. If I left out a word or made a typo, let me know, as always! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good time!


	12. Chapter 12

Staying three nights in the caravan meant we’d gotten a little comfortable. We’d settled and unpacked a little more, so there was more to pack up the next morning as we set out. I was relatively positive that the Regalia’s trunk was magically enhanced to fit a  _ ton _ of stuff—how else could it fit the roof of the convertible  _ and _ all of our stuff? The tent wasn’t small. Nor was the stove. Yet it was roomy enough that everything fit.

Packing up left pretty much everybody winded—so my flower-induced wheezing wasn’t as noticeable when we climbed in the car and drove off to find another hunt in another place. Possibly a deep dungeon with an extremely dangerous daemon sealed into the bottom behind a door.

“Gorgeous morning,” Gladio remarked. The sun was shining, the skies were mostly clear, and the air was clean.

“Yup,” I agreed.

We drove for a couple hours before stopping for lunch and a restock of supplies.

“How you feelin’, Rory?” Prompto asked as I disposed of the flower petals in my pocket in the dumpster behind the convenience store. He joined me.

I shrugged. “Tired. Little dizzy from not enough oxygen. I’ll be fine.”

Prompto looked thoughtful. “Y’know how our bodies convert oxygen to carbon-dioxide as we breathe?”

“Yeah.”

“And plants do the same but in reverse?”

“Yeah.”

“If I took, like, a really deep breath, could I just hold my breath forever while my lungs converted one way and the daffodils did the other way?”

“Don’t even try it,” I retorted with a snort. “I don’t think the process is fast enough."

“Aw man,” he complained. “That would have been cool! I could have gone swimming underwater for, like,  _ ever! _ ”

I laughed. “Prom… I honestly don’t think there’s a single beneficial part of this disease. If we held our breath for too long underwater, the carbon-dioxide would still build up and turn toxic in our blood and we would drown.”

“We’re drowning anyway,” Prompto pointed out. “Just… in flowers instead of water.”

“Fair enough.”

“Rory… how long have you got?”

I shrugged. “If my estimates are right, and I’m pretty sure they are… about a week-and-a-half.”

“That’s… not long. No offense, Rory, but… I don’t think Ignis will… fall in love with you… in time.”

“I’ve been trying, Prompto! Maybe not as hard as I should have, but I don’t want to overdo it! The only thing worse than a flat-out ‘no’ would be to get pushed away completely.”

“How is that worse? They’re kinda the same result,” Prompto remarked.

I glared at him. “Because at the end of the day, we’re still friends. An outright ‘no’ would still leave the option of  _ trying _ to still be friends open. But getting pushed away… getting cut off… it’d be like…” I shook my head. “You remember Max, right?” I met his eyes.

“That… that ginger kid you had a crush on when we were in elementary school?”

“Yeah. He and I had feelings for each other for basically our entire elementary school career. And then, when we reached grade seven… he acted like I didn’t exist. Ignored me. Cut me off. You remember that? I cried for like three hours when I figured it out. And then again once a year till I got over it in grade ten when my self-confidence caught up to me and reminded me it was his loss. I can’t do that again.”

“Rory, this time it’s more serious! There are bigger consequences.”

“You think I don’t know that? I do. I’m well aware of what’s happening to me and what  _ will _ happen when my time runs out.”

“So why sacrifice your life?”

“You have no room to talk about self-sacrifice, Argentum. You’re the most self-sacrificial idiot I’ve ever had the pleasure of being best friends with,” I said, sharper than I intended. Prompto stared at me for several long seconds. I shook my head. “I just can’t. I’d rather enjoy the time I have left. That way Ard—” I cut myself off and headed back for the car. “Never mind.”

Prompto caught my wrist. “Wait. What does Ardyn have to do with any of this?”

“Nothing. I was just running my mouth. As usual. C’mon. Don’t want to keep the others waiting.”

But Prompto held his ground, pulling on me so I couldn’t go any farther and didn’t have the energy or the strength to combat him. “Rory, what aren’t you telling me? What is going on?”

“I just can’t let him win, Prom, okay? I just can’t.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. How is he involved?”

“He’s the one who cursed me with this disease, okay?!” I snapped, throwing my other hand up in the air. “And if I spend the next week-and-a-half miserable, then he’ll  _ win _ . And I can’t let him  _ win _ . I am going to  _ enjoy _ the last few days of my life! But you can’t tell the others he’s involved. Just like you’re not telling the others that you’ve got the exact same disease that I do.”

Prompto stared. “He cursed you with Hanahaki?”

“Yeah. He all but admitted to it.”

“What about me? Did he curse me too?”

“I don’t know. He said he didn’t, but he told me that I should be worried about you catching it as though I was contagious. It stands to reason he was lying and cursed you too. Hanahaki Disease isn’t contagious that way.” I pulled my wrist in his grip. “Let’s go, Prom. Before Noct gets impatient.” As I started to return to the car, he released my wrist but followed after me.

“Where’d you two go?” Gladio asked.

“Just throwing away the trash,” I said.

“Together?”

“There was more than I expected.”

“Uh-huh. Sure,” Gladio grunted sarcastically.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask what the sarcasm was for, but I blurted it out anyway. “Well what did you think we were doing?” I challenged.

“Noct thought you were making out behind the store.”

I choked on a dahlia head that had been creeping into my throat. Once I managed to cough it—and several more wads of petals—out, I planted my closed fists on my hips and glared. “Gladiolus Amicitia!” I protested while Prompto turned beet red and coughed himself.

Gladio put his hands up. “Hey, Noct’s words, not mine,” he retorted.

“I’m gonna  _ smack _ that boy…” I muttered sarcastically under my breath.

Noctis had always poked at my relationship with Prompto.  _ Always _ .

* * *

_ “Hey Rory! Come ‘ere!” Prompto called, waving me over as I left school. He was standing next to a familiar boy in a school uniform. I smiled as I approached. _

_ “Hi,” I greeted. _

_ “Miss Aubade,” Noctis said. _

_ “Your Highness,” I replied. “A pleasure to see you again.” _

_ “You too.” _

_ Prompto looked between us in surprise. “You two  _ know _ each other?” he asked. _

_ “Well sure,” I replied. _

_ “Her mom works as a healer at the Citadel—and she’s studying to be one too, right?” Noctis looked at me. I nodded. “Yeah. So we’ve met a couple times. Mostly when we were younger.” _

_ “Yeah,” I agreed, smiling at Prompto. “I’ve told you before that His Highness and I have met before when we were younger.” _

_ “Oh… yeah… I remember that now. I kinda, uh, forgot.” _

_ I laughed. “It’s fine. No harm, no foul. And it’s kinda funny.” I looked back at Noctis. “And, please, call me Aurora. Or Rory. Rory is just fine. We’re in an informal environment out here.” _

_ “Well, in that case, Noct is fine for me,” he said. _

_ I smiled. “If you insist, Your Highness. Noct.” _

_ Noctis pointed between me and Prompto. “So… what’s the relationship here? Boyfriend-girlfriend?” _

_ Prompto went red under his freckles and my ears and neck burned. “No! No. Just friends,” Prompto said, voice a bit squeaky. Most of the kids at school knew we were each other’s only friends. But Noctis was more of a solitary creature—I couldn’t blame him for not knowing. “We’ve known each other since we were, what, nine?” Prompto glanced to me for confirmation. _

_ “Yeah. Yeah we were about nine,” I confirmed. “It’s a pleasure to see you in a more informal environment, Noct.” _

_ “You too, Auror—Rory,” Noctis said. _

_ The three of us had gone to the same school for years. I wondered what prompted Prompto to approach and befriend Noctis  _ now _. _

_ The next time I saw Noctis in the Citadel, my mom was giving him a physical to make sure he was healthy and in good shape. I was shadowing to take notes for her in order to learn the paperwork. _

_ He sat on the bed in the hospital wing and kicked his legs where they dangled. “Are you  _ sure _ you’re not dating Prompto, Rory?” he asked. _

_ I snorted. “I’m sure. He’s my best friend. My  _ only _ friend, really.” _

_ Noctis hummed. “Well. You’d make a cute couple.” _

_ “Please don’t, Your Highness. That’s… bizarre. To me. But… thanks I guess?” _

_ The prince snickered. “You’re welcome. And please, Noct is fine here too.” _

_ “If you say so.” _

* * *

After our break, everyone piled into the car again to head for the next hunt. Prompto even relinquished the front seat to sit next to me in the back. Claiming he wanted to feel the stronger wind in the backseat.

He occasionally bumped his knee to mine. It was comforting. He’d done something similar whenever one of us was nervous. Even if we were just in suspense in a movie. I grinned at him. He grinned back. His blond hair was a shiny gold in the warm summer sunlight.

I leaned against his shoulder and closed my eyes. I was  _ tired _ . “Dude, we gotta hang out more when all this is over. I miss it.”

 He patted my knee. “Me too.”

Talking like we weren’t going to die was kind of weird. I knew we were doing it for the sake of the other boys in the car, pretending that sometime in the future we would hang out like we did when we were younger after the road trip was over, but that didn’t mean it didn’t seem strange.

Still, it was nice to imagine the end of the road trip—defeating the empire and driving them out of Lucis, Noctis taking back the throne. Life settling down. Maybe finding a decent apartment in an outlying neighborhood of Insomnia—one of the ones that made it through in one piece—or Lestallum and just  _ living _ . Rebuilding Insomnia and Lucis as a whole. And hanging out with Prompto all through the night.

A fantasy I wished would become reality.

As it was, I wasn’t sure we’d survive to the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this! I didn't plan on updating tonight but changed my mind just for the fun of it XD
> 
> Please, let me know about any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes so I can fix 'em!


	13. Chapter 13

Prompto woke up in the middle of the night, overtaken by a coughing fit that caused several daffodils to fall onto his sleeping bag. He gathered them up and slid out of the tent. The cool night air struck his skin and made him shiver. He threw the petals onto the dying embers of the fire and slipped out of the protective magic of the haven to finish getting the tickle out of his throat. He leaned against a rock and threw up a mass of daffodils.

A footstep echoed in his ear. “Oh how tragic,” a voice cooed. “The True King’s best friend dying a slow, painful death because the woman he loves is in love with someone else.”

Prompto looked up. Ardyn was standing there.

Gasping, Prompto moved to conjure his gun—but couldn’t. It was stuck. “What gives…?!” Prompto breathed. He tried again. His gun  _ would not _ come out of the armiger. 

Ardyn tutted.

“There’s no need for that, little gunman. I’m not here to hurt you.”

“No, you’re just here to gloat that you’re the reason Rory’s gonna die—you’re the one who cursed us!”

Ardyn cocked an eyebrow. “Ah-ah-ah. I did no such thing to  _ you _ . The last bits of the curse were hanging around her when you realized you were in love with her, and the remnants of the magic latched onto you.  _ You _ are the reason you contracted the condition. If you’d realized how deep your feelings were a week afterward, you would have been fine as the spell would have entirely absorbed into her. Left to pine in peace. But alas. ‘Twas not the case.”

Prompto glared at the chancellor. “Why would you do this to her? She’s done nothing wrong. She’s a healer—not a fighter!”

Ardyn chuckled. He folded his arms over his chest. “Indeed. One would think that her lack of a physical threat wouldn’t warrant such a lethal action. One would be wrong. Her healing prowess is incredible. Her abilities are unmatched. Your True King sharing his curative power with her is a single small  _ part  _ of why she’s so dangerous. Her training and heritage make her far more dangerous than you could ever know. The gods and the Crystal have a destiny in mind for your True King—and with your little healer in the way, he can’t completely fulfill that destiny. The blood price must be paid and that healer could stop it. And I cannot allow that. Without your True King, I cannot complete my plans.”

“Leave Noct alone,” Prompto growled.

“Oh, no, my boy. You misunderstand. I need His Highness too much to hurt him. For now. But that little healer of yours will get in the way. So she has to go.”

Prompto moved to take a swing at Ardyn—but the man disappeared. Prompto swore under his breath. “What is he talking about?!” he hissed.

A cough reached his ears. “Prom?” Aurora asked quietly. “What are you doing out here all on your own?”

He turned and wrapped her up in a hug. “Nothin’, Rory. Just had to eject some of the crap in my lungs. And I had a visit from our creepy friend,” he said, glaring over the top of her head at where Ardyn had vanished.

“Izunia?”

“Yeah.”

“What’d he want?”

“To gloat, I think.”

Aurora growled in her throat. “I hate him.”

“Tell me about it.”

Aurora squeezed him. “C’mon. Let’s get back to the haven before any Big Nasties come get us. I don’t want to get caught out here with Hanahaki when an Iron Giant tries to take us both down.”

“Yeah same,” Prompto agreed. Together they walked back to the haven, not having the energy to run.

Aurora flopped down onto her camp chair. “I don’t have long, Prom. But… I’ve made my peace with it. Just promise me that you won’t tell Noct and Gladio and Ignis about me until after I’m gone, okay? And then when I am, go to Hammerhead. You still have  _ time _ . You deserve to be  _ happy _ .” She sighed thoughtfully. “So happy. I wish I could live to see you find the person of your dreams and live happily ever after.”

“You still could.”

“Prom, we both know at this point that Ignis and I aren’t gonna happen. It’s clear as glass. But you and Cindy might still have a future. Your feelings are about as subtle as a firework—and your love is as bright as one too. I’ve had the unique privilege of being your friend for all these years and seeing it.”

_ If only you knew, _ Prompto thought, watching her as she pulled some threads out of her pocket and went back to weaving a bracelet she’d been working on sporadically during the road trip.  _ If my feelings are as obvious as you say, why haven’t you seen mine for you? _

“And experiencing it, hopefully,” Prompto remarked casually instead.

“Huh?”

“Well, I mean, you know I love you, Rory.”

She smiled. “Oh yeah. I know. And I love you too, Prom. You’re the best.”

*****

“Guys?” I piped up in the backseat of the Regalia as we drove to a hunt. I only had a few days left. We’d been driving for a couple hours, mostly in silence, sometimes letting Prompto pick out some music. Everyone’s enthusiasm for music dwindled after a single song so most of the ride was spent in silence.

“Yeah?” Noctis asked.

“I just wanted to let you all know that I’m proud of you.  _ All _ of you. I haven’t said it enough. And I’m sorry about that. You’re all amazing young men and I look forward to spending the rest of my life serving you all as a healer.”

“What’s brought this on?” Gladio asked.

I shrugged. “Nothin’. Just thinkin’ about everything I haven’t said. My brain wanders a lot in silence. And I realized I haven’t expressed my pride to you guys. I’m honored to be your friend and to be allowed to hang out with you guys so much. I love you all and I never say it enough.”

“You do to Prompto,” Noctis pointed out.

“Prompto is a special case. He  _ happens _ to be my best friend,” I said.

The boys laughed. “Fair enough,” Noctis relented.

The drive lapsed into silence. Occasionally I could hear Ignis’ gloves creak on the leather of the steering wheel from how tightly he would clench it when something on the road made him nervous. But other than that, it was quiet. My and Prompto’s coughing had even quieted.

We got as close to the cave’s access point as we could from the road. The rest would have to be done on foot.

“Ugh. More hiking,” Prompto grumbled as we piled out of the car. He shot a look at me. He and I both knew I wouldn’t have the energy to hike to the cave alone. He probably wouldn’t either. He was still way better off than me, but he was wheezy too.

“Aurora, how about you stay here?” Ignis suggested. “Put the roof on, lock the doors, wait for us to return?”

“What, and let you idiots bleed out on the hike back down? I don’t think so,” I said. I’d just have to soldier on up the trail. I’d be fine. It’d be exhausting but while they descended into the cave, I could rest for the hike back down. And… assuming they came out unscathed, maybe Gladio or Ignis would just carry me back to the Regalia. They’d done it before. Admittedly it was one of our earliest hunts and I’d been stabbed in the leg by a daemon goblin while we were low on supplies, but it wasn’t like it was the first time.

I was a healer, not a fighter.

We started up the trail. I started out okay. We’d been sitting for a while so I had a little extra energy. But it didn’t last. As the incline increased, so did my heart rate—not to mention my wheezing.

Prompto fell back upon noticing I was struggling. He’d been lagging worse than usual too but not as bad as me. “Hey. You alright?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Just… hate… hiking,” I panted. I spat a petal-filled ball of mucus out off to the side of the trail where it disappeared in a leafy bush. Exercise always made mucus build in my throat. It was gross and I hated it—but now with the petals I was even more disgusted.

He took my hand. “Come on. Let me do this,” he said quietly. Before I could ask what he meant, he started to pull me up the trail by the hand, being careful and gentle.

I let him, swallowing my pride.

“Just like when we were kids, but reversed now,” he added.

“Y’know, I was only in better shape than you for like… two years. If that.”

“Yeah, but those two years were important to me, Rory. Because of you, I knew I wasn’t alone and that  _ someone _ would be there to support me. I mean, heaven knew my parents wouldn’t be.”

“Prom…”

He held up his other hand. “No, no. I made my peace with that a long time ago. It’s nothing to feel bad about anymore. If they hadn’t been so absent, I don’t think I would have become such good friends with  _ you _ . And then Noct. But… you first. Because you were always there.”

“Y’know… I never thanked you… for putting up with me… I kinda forced myself into your life…”

Prompto shrugged. “Hey, we were kids. You didn’t know any better. ‘Sides, we were both desperate for friendship so we latched onto each other like barnacles. And, frankly Rory, I wouldn’t trade that for the world. I needed your friendship to become who I am.”

He paused our hike to brush some stray hairs out of my face with a soft smile.

“You and your parents mean everything to me, Rory. Without your family and your emotional support, I never would have made it through… anything. School. Life. Weight loss.”

“Prom… you’re  _ so _ much stronger… than you give yourself credit for…” I said. Prompto squeezed my hand and tugged me up the path.

“I hope you’re right,” he said.

“Have I ever been… wrong?” I teased.

“Well… there  _ was _ that one time in high school—”

“We do not speak of that… one time in… high school.”

Prompto laughed. “Knew I’d get ya,” he teased.

I flicked him in the arm with my free hand—over the bandana wrapped around his arm so it wouldn’t hurt as much. “Shut up.”

“Can’t. You know you love me.” He turned a blindingly bright smile on me.

“You’re lucky I do,” I said. He laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting down to the wire here, y'all! This is so exciting! (The feels were starting to get real for me around here when I was writing it.) (This took a few days longer than I wanted because I went on a road trip to visit a friend but I'm back with a vengeance now! Woot-woot!)
> 
> Let me know if I missed a word or made a typo, as always. Thank you all so much for reading! Hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Thanks again!


	14. Chapter 14

“Guys, I think I’m gonna stay out here with Rory,” Prompto said. “You don’t need my guns down there. I’ll keep her safe from roaming wildlife and such, ‘kay?”

“If you insist,” Gladio muttered.

“Alright by me,” Ignis said.

“Fine with me. Just be careful. Both of you,” Noctis agreed. He gave me and Prompto smiles and a clap on the shoulder before the three of them descended into the cave.

Once they were out of sight, Prompto was holding my hand and arm, lowering me to the ground. “Rory, sit down. You’re bright red and look like you’re gonna pass out.”

I flopped gracelessly onto the grass, coughing up a bunch of flowers.

Prompto folded himself down next to me and sighed. “How long you got now?” he asked quietly.

I cleared my throat. “Not long,” I said. “Few days.”

“That’s it?!”

“Yeah. It was all I could do to just get up this hill.”

“How… how long do I have?” He was tentative—almost scared to ask. I could hear it in his tone.

“Maybe… a couple months still? If not, at least several more weeks. Ardyn accelerated my condition but not yours. Most known facts about Hanahaki agree that a normal case should last up to three months.”

He curled his knees up and rested his elbows on them. “Aurora…” he said quietly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without you. You’ve been in my life for so long that not having you there… it’s not going to go well. For me.” He didn’t meet my eyes as he said that, just stared out into the forest. I blinked and turned my attention to him.

“You’ll be better off than you think,” I said. “You’ve always been able to find happiness in unlikely places. You’re strong—physically  _ and _ emotionally—and I know you’ll be okay. I am sorry it has to end like this but… there’s nothing we can do about it. Noct’s healing magic that I’m borrowing… doesn’t cover removing flowers from my lungs. Heck, even if it did, I wouldn’t know where to start.”

Prompto sighed.

We sat in silence for a moment.

He pulled his camera out of his pocket. “C’mere,” he said. I was already sitting next to him, but he put his arm over my shoulders and pulled me until I scooted over to snuggle against his side. “I wanna show you something.”

He turned the camera on and started thumbing through the pictures he’d taken.

“Uh… Prom?” I asked after a few moments.

“Hmm?”

“Why are these all of me? Don’t you have pictures of anyone else?”

Prompto just grinned—then it faltered. “Well… y’see… I wanted… I wanted you to have a lifetime’s-worth of photos. I’ve been taking as many as I can of you since I found out about the Hanahaki. I just… wanted to capture every expression and every feeling. So that… so that I and the others can remember every face you ever made. To document all of your expressions before we lose them. I don’t want the world to forget you. And I know Noctis won’t let the world forget you, but you deserve to be remembered.”

“Healers don’t get famous, Prom,” I said.

“No. But I don’t want you to be forgotten—or erased as just the healer who couldn’t heal her own heart.”

I was quiet for a moment, watching Prompto scroll through the roll of pictures he’d taken of me—most of them without my knowledge or awareness. Finally, I heaved a huge sigh, several light blue petals whizzing out of my mouth and drifting down to my lap. I brushed them off my trousers impatiently. “Thank you, Prompto.” I rested my head on his shoulder. “You’re the best.”

“Thanks. But… I think  _ you’re _ the best.”

“Oh no. You’re definitely the best. You told me on the hike up here that you wouldn’t be where you are without me, but I wouldn’t be where I am without you either. You always supported me through the worst of my training. And I couldn’t ask for a better best friend.”

Prompto fidgeted with discomfort. Probably just from being praised. He’d always had enough insecurity to have difficulty accepting praise genuinely. Sarcastically he was a master but not genuinely. “You’re still breathing hard,” he observed.

I allowed the subject change.

“Haven’t really  _ stopped _ breathing hard since I got this stupid disease. Just getting better at hiding it.”

Prompto snorted derisively. “Fair point.”

He flicked to the next picture.

It was me laughing in my camp chair next to the fire, head thrown back and hair dangling behind me. Ignis was in the chair next to me—but he was mostly cut off by the framing. If it weren’t for his long, slender leg and gloved hand holding a plate being in the picture, I would have had a slightly harder time determining who’d been cut out of the frame.

“This is one of my favorites,” Prompto said. “You’re pure here. There’s no pretending. No mask. You’re just laughing and being unashamed about it. You were never one for suppressing yourself for the sake of the people around you but it’s really obvious here.”

“Thanks, Prompto.”

“Yeah.” He clicked to the next one.

It was me asleep in my sleeping bag. Prompto took it in selfie mode, gesturing behind him to me as I slept like he was presenting a cool animal he found out in the wild. I snorted. “You are such a dork,” I said. Prompto snickered.

“Would you love me if I was any other way?” he teased, squeezing my shoulders.

I chuckled. “Heck no. I love you for exactly who you are.” I nuzzled my head against his shoulder, the way I’d always done—especially when I was studying for my healer exams and absolutely exhausted. Three or four mental breakdowns accompanied the whole ordeal from the ages of sixteen to eighteen. That had been fun.

I felt Prompto go a little stiff and lifted my head.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

He was staring into the trees pensively, the sunlight catching his eyes and bringing out the violet tinting the blue. He shook himself out of whatever reverie he was in. “Wha’…? No. Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s good. I’m good. Why do you ask?”

“You just went a little stiff. Like I said something wrong.”

“No. Sorry. I was thinking about… something else.”

“Then tell me that while looking me in the eye. I  _ know _ you, Prompto. Better than maybe anyone else here. I can tell when something is bothering you. C’mon. Trust me.”

“I do trust you. With all my heart, Rory.”

“But?”

“But nothing.” He turned and met my eyes. “Everything is fine. I swear.”

I pursed my lips but nodded. “Okay. I’m going to believe you this time. But if something is bothering you,  _ please _ tell me, okay? I can’t help you if you don’t tell me there’s something to help  _ with _ .”

“I know, Rory. And if something does bother me, I’ll tell you.”

As if on cue, both of us coughed. Prompto’s was shorter. Mine lasted a while and involved lots of gasping for air. I really didn’t have long. Several full-bodied dahlia heads fell into my hands while a small cluster of petals and a single full daffodil landed on Prompto’s elbow. We let the petals and flowers scatter to the winds as a breeze blew through the clearing outside the cave.

I panted after coughing from the effort it took and how much coughing cut off my normal breathing as it was.

Prompto handed me my water bottle. I took it and guzzled half of it, trying to get the scratching out of my throat from the Hanahaki. “Hey Rory?”

“Yeah?”

“Never mind if I’m okay—are  _ you _ okay?”

“You know the answer to that, Prom. You’re the  _ only _ one who knows the real answer to that.” I curled tighter into myself.  _ I’m  _ dying _ Prompto. Do you  _ think _ I’m doing okay? You’re dying too of the same disease _ — _ tell me how you feel and you’ll probably know how _ I  _ feel _ , I thought.

But didn’t say aloud.

We were quiet for a few more minutes. I took Prompto’s camera from his hands and went looking through the pictures again. My tired face in the morning with some breakfast sitting on my lap. My arms flung up in the air in the back of the Regalia, the wind catching my hair. The stressed crease between my eyebrows that appeared when I was healing one of my hooligan friends. The slightly-crazed look in my eyes that I knew I got whenever I tended the fire and got a little playful with the flames—the look that occasionally got the word, “Pyromaniac” thrown at me.

“Rory look out!” Prompto exclaimed. He grabbed me around the shoulders and pulled me out of the way.

Gladio barreled out of the cave and nearly trampled the spot where I’d been sitting had Prompto not grabbed me. “That… was a Big Nasty,” Gladio panted, hands on his knees. Ignis and Noctis jogged out slightly slower. The moment Ignis glanced at Prompto holding me on the grass, I pulled out of Prompto’s arms, turning red.  _ It’s not what it looks like. It’s not what it looks like. It’s not _ —

“Is everyone okay?” I asked, pushing myself to my feet and fighting down my heavy breathing, forcing it to be normal.

“Thankfully, yes,” Ignis said. “We managed to avoid injury.”

“Good. ‘Cause Gladio just about trampled me! If it hadn’t been for Prompto I would have been flattened underfoot!” I exclaimed, whacking Gladio in the arm. He tried to chuckle but was panting too hard for that.

I knew the feeling.

“So  _ that’s _ what was going on,” Noctis teased.

I glowered at him but didn’t say anything.

“Alright. A few minutes here to rest and then we’ll hike back down to the Regalia,” Ignis declared. “Unless Lady Healer makes us stay longer to recover.” He gave me an amused grin at the nickname. He had such a nice genuine smile. I’d seen his fake smile when he was professionally handling business, but his teasing,  _ real _ smile was  _ so _ charming.

“Nah. You guys are all tough. Tougher than me anyway. Get your breath back, drink some water, and then we’ll go,” I said.

Gladio, Noctis, and Ignis each took drinks from their water bottles and slowly quieted their panting.

Prompto picked himself to his feet while our friends got their breath back. The effort of just standing up made both of us winded and trying to hide it from the other three. Our eyes met with understanding.

“You two always  _ do _ that,” Gladio said.

“What, look at each other?” I asked.

“Yeah. How come?”

“It’s how we communicate telepathically.” I snickered—it turned into a cough that forced me to double over with my hands over my mouth.

“Whoa. Rory. You okay?” Noctis asked.

“I’m fine. Probably just allergic to some pollen up here.” I forced a smile. “You ready? Let’s head down.”

I turned to head down the trail we came up—if I lagged behind after starting at the front, maybe I wouldn’t end up so far behind after all—when petals stroked the base of my throat. I coughed again. Hard. I put my hand on my knee and coughed, covering my mouth with the other hand.

“Aurora?” Ignis called from behind me. Had he gone back into the cave a ways? Why did he sound so far away? “Are you alright?”

“Fi…  _ fiiine _ ,” I insisted.

“Rory!” Prompto’s voice shouted as I staggered.

Before I could stop myself, I pitched forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Hannah. Really gettin' close to the end now. I can feel my heart breaking and flying at the same time. I'll be sad to finish posting this story because I love it so much, but I'll also be happy to present everyone with something complete. Thanks to everyone who's stuck around this long. I appreciate you all!
> 
> (I'm not gonna apologize for the ending of this chapter. It was a perfect narrative break.)  
> (And now I just gotta figure out which order to post all the different endings...)  
> (Side Note: Prompto didn't fidget in discomfort because he was being praised. I'll give y'all three guesses as to the real reason ;-D)


	15. Chapter 15

When my eyes fluttered open, I was in the tent. Lying in my sleeping bag in my clothes. Though, my boots were tucked carefully in the corner. The area around my head was covered in flowers and petals. I gathered them up quickly and shoved them in a pocket of my jacket.

“What happened?” I muttered. I remembered passing out—but that was it.

“Rory! You’re awake!” Prompto whispered. “Aw man. You’ve been out for hours. We’ve been getting really worried about you!” He had tucked himself into the other corner of the tent, curled up and waiting for me, apparently.

“How many hours  _ is _ ‘hours’?” I asked.

“Well. Uh. You passed out right as we headed back to the Regalia… which was like… early afternoon. And now it’s after dark in the summer so… at least seven hours.”

“Wow,” I said.

“Rory you’ve barely been  _ breathing _ . I told them I’d sit in here with you to make sure you were okay—but mostly because none of the others know about the disease and you’ve also been coughing a lot—but there were moments I had to push on your sternum to force you to breathe. You’ve been  _ scaring  _ me,” he said.

I shuffled and slid out of the sleeping bag. “I’m sorry, Prompto,” I said. “Didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t. You were unconscious.”

“Fair point,” I muttered. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Little dizzy.”

“That’s the lack of oxygen,” I said.

“Yeah… I figured.”

“I’m sorry you have to go through this too, Prompto. But… it’s not too late to tell Cindy how you feel. She might even return the feelings!”

“No… Cindy’s in love with someone else,” Prompto said thoughtfully.

“Who? When did she tell you that?” I asked, perking up, but at the same time feeling my hopes for Prompto’s happy future crash and burn.

Prompto shook his head. “Oh! No. I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was, Cindy is married to her work. That  _ totally _ came out the wrong way. Sorry about that.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I’m not thinkin’ too straight, I guess.”

I reached out and set a hand on his arm. “It’s the lack of oxygen. Trust me, it’s all I can do to stay functional and not give away to the others that anything is wrong.”

Prompto’s eyes opened, their gentle violet-tinted blue staring at my hand. “How do you do it? I mean, I’ve always thought that you can do anything but… how do you do  _ that _ ? I’m struggling with it but you make it look easy.”

I shrugged. “I’m used to maintaining the same sort of calm demeanor in high-pressure situations as a healer. But keeping myself functional when I can barely breathe involves a lot of slowing down. I don’t move or talk as fast as I normally would and I take time to pause and think. So far no one has noticed the difference because I’m good at playing it off as thoughtful pondering.” I glanced at him. “But back to Cindy. Being married to her work doesn’t exclude the possibility of her falling for you! You’re dashing and sweet and  _ kind _ and brave and… it’s hard for me to admit  _ anyone _ deserves you.”

Prompto looked up at me through his lashes with a small, playful smirk on his face. “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“Do  _ you _ think you deserve me?”

“I sure as Shiva don’t,” I said with a giggle. “We both know you are  _ waaay _ too good for me.”

“That is such a  _ lie _ ,” Prompto teased. “You were always too good for  _ me _ .”

“Liar,” I snapped, grinning.

He shook his head. “No. No I assure you it’s the truth. You are the best friend a guy like me could ever ask for.” He reached out and wrapped me in a hug. “I know this sucks, but we’re gonna get through it, okay?”

I burrowed my head into his chest. “Just be strong, Prom, when I’m gone. Go tell Cindy. Survive. All that.” I started coughing, spewing flower petals all down Prompto’s front.

Prompto sighed, chin resting in my hair. “Okay,” he muttered. He coughed too.

The tent flap unzipped. Ignis ducked in. “I heard voices and coughing. I see you’re awake, Aurora,” he said. “Happy to see you conscious and healthy.”

_ That’s one way to put it, _ I thought sarcastically. I cleared my throat. “Thanks, Ignis. Sorry for giving everyone a fright. Didn’t mean to pass out… again. Guess the heat got to me while we were sitting there while I’ve been getting over my cold and all.” I wondered vaguely if he believed me. The slight twitch of his eyebrow conveyed that I didn’t think he believed me.

“Indeed,” he said. “Would you care for something to eat? I’ve whipped up a little something to help you get your strength back.”

I perked up. “Soup?” I asked.

Ignis just smiled.

“Awww yiss! I love you. Your soup is the  _ best _ , Iggy,” I said, jumping to my feet and dragging Prompto to his by his wrist. I’d used  _ I love you _ in a casual way so often that Ignis didn’t even realize the real meaning behind it. “C’mon, Prom! It’s best when it’s still warm!” I grinned at Ignis as I dragged Prompto out with me, fighting down the urge to kiss him.

Gladio handed the two of us bowls. “Here ya are,” he said. “How was the nap, Rory?”

“Sorry,” I said. “Didn’t mean to…”

“We know. Now eat your soup like a good girl and go back to sleep. You’ll feel better tomorrow.”

Decidedly not but the others didn’t have to know that yet.

“Thanks, Gladio.”

Prompto and I plopped down in our chairs. The five of us ate around the campfire as the sun went down. Yowling from daemons filled the night. I shuddered at the thought of those goblin monsters and spooned more soup into my mouth. I was eating so fast it was making me short of breath. Of course,  _ everything _ made me short of breath these last few weeks.

I took a break from eating to breathe. It was heavy breathing that caught everyone’s attention.

“Are you… sure you’re okay, Rory?” Noctis asked.

I nodded—slightly frantically. “Fine. I’m fine. Nose is just a little blocked.”  _ And throat. And lungs. _

“Oookay. If you insist,” Noctis said.

“I do,” I said. “I’m the healer—I should know best when I’m fine.”

Ignis scrutinized me over the top rim of his glasses. “As the healer, you would also know best how to disguise any serious illness.”

I laughed—a little too loud and a little too loose. But the others were used to me. I’d  _ never _ been quiet. They didn’t even think twice at my “HA!” that rang through the air. “Iggy, if I were  _ seriously _ ill, I would have slipped away at dawn weeks ago to relieve you guys of the burden of having a faulty healer.”

Prompto stared at me in the corner of my eye. I ignored him. He and I both knew I was lying.

I coughed into my hand, catching the rush of petals in my hand and shoving them in my pocket when no one was paying attention to me.

“Rory?” Prompto asked.

“Mm?”

“Would you  _ really _ leave us if you knew you were sick?”

“Yeah. Elseways I’d just slow you down. A healer who’s too sick to heal is useless. I’d never force you guys to drag my deadweight.” I gave Prompto a hard look. He seemed to understand the message.  _ Don’t you  _ dare _ mention the Hanahaki to them now or I will steal your teeth and use them for potions. _

Ignis tilted his head at me. “You say that as though we would willingly leave you behind.”

“No, no. I wouldn't give you a choice. I’d just leave,” I said.

The boys all scoffed. “We’d track you down,” Noctis said. “We’d be toast without you.”

I waved dismissively. “Nah. I’m sure you’d be alright.”

_ And I hope you will. _

*****

Sunlight woke me up, filtering through the canvas of the tent. Trying to suppress my cough, I gathered up the petals around my head from when I’d coughed in my sleep. I scooped up Prompto’s too.

Every breath was a shudder. A flutter of delicate blue petals. I could feel the sensation like butterfly wings in my throat.

Every breath was a fight. I was hauling air in and out of my flower-filled lungs forcefully. The pressure of the flora against the walls of my lungs was noticeable too—from the moment I woke up.

I wanted to sigh, but didn’t have the lung power.

Sneaking out of the tent, I threw the petals on the smoldering embers of the fire. They shrivelled up and became unrecognizable. I collapsed on my camp chair and took several deep breaths, trying to get enough oxygen into my system. The red protection magic that kept daemons away from the havens at night had disappeared with the sunlight.

Looking around, I noticed several wildflowers growing in the shade of a small tree nearby. I pushed myself to my feet and approached them. Small and violet. They were cute.

I was grateful that this disease didn’t completely avert me away from flowers. I was grateful I could still appreciate their beauty.

Behind the tree, away from the camp, I threw up more globs of flowers, coughing as the petals burned at my throat and panting from the effort of purging so much out of my lungs.

“Ah. So the time has arrived at last,” a gravelly voice crooned.

I ground my teeth. “Ardyn,” I greeted bitterly.

“You don’t have long, do you my dear? Perhaps until just after nightfall,” he said.

“No. I don’t. I can feel it,” I admitted. I didn’t have the energy to fight back or even dredge up enough hatred to be sassy.

He withdrew a dagger from his coat. “Of course, I could end everything early. Right here and now. ‘Twould be far less painful than suffocating.”

The imperial chancellor raised the dagger, aimed at me.

I thrust one hand out into the space between us, palm toward him. “Ardyn Lucis Caelum,” I said. His body went rigid. “That’s your… real name. The elder brother of… Somnus Lucis Caelum—Founder King of Lucis. Great-great-some-odd-uncle… of Noct.”

“How did you—”

“Somnus tried to… erase his brother… from history. Only the… barest traces remained,” I panted. “But… I found your name… in the healers’ archives… when I was eighteen. You were… the great healer of Eos. The people… regarded you… as their savior. From the Starscourge. I just barely… put together… that you, Ardyn Izunia, are… Ardyn Lucis Caelum.” I tried to laugh but couldn’t. “A healer. Just like me.” I looked up and met his eyes. “Why, then… would you do this… to a fellow healer? This… terrible… curse?”

He took a step closer, getting over his shock, and traced the point of his dagger down my face. “Because with you in the picture, I cannot fulfill my destiny  _ or _ wreak my revenge on the bloodline who betrayed me.”

“It’s not… Noctis’…  _ fault _ ,” I said.

“No. But it is time for the bloodline of Lucis to come to an end. Even the gods will it so.” He put the blade against my throat. “And  _ you _ will take that knowledge right to your grave, Miss Healer. Or else I will slaughter your true love long before his time.”

I gulped—and then coughed. He moved the dagger away, but continued glaring at me. “I… I understand. But…  _ why _ ?”

“He is the Chosen King. In order for the Starscourge to end and my original calling be fulfilled, the Chosen King must die. It just so  _ happens _ to align with my revenge of putting the line of Lucis to an end. Always a pleasure, killing two birds with one stone—literally,” Ardyn explained with rapture. “And with  _ you _ in the picture, you could stop me from having my revenge and fulfilling the gods’ destiny for your  _ King of Kings _ . I’ll not have it. I had to get rid of you. But, you’re not to tell anyone about any of this. It’ll be our little secret.”

I clenched my jaw. “Alright,” I agreed. I coughed again.

He smirked. “Make the most of the time you have left,” he purred, brushing the backs of his fingers down my face—making me shudder in disgust—before vanishing.

Panting, I stumbled back to the tent and slid back inside.

“Prom! Prompto!” I hissed.

Prompto woke up, his bedhead a tangle of yellow-gold spikes. “I didn’t do it!” he mumbled. A coughing fit took over. He buried his head in his sleeping bag to muffle the sound. After a moment, he regained his clarity. “Oh. Aurora. Something wrong?” His voice was groggy and thick with sleep.

I cleared my throat. Or tried. There was too much crap in it from the flowers to  _ really _ clear it.

Everyone else was still asleep.

I heaved a deep breath in. “This is it, Prompto. Today’s… my last day.”

My best friend’s jaw dropped. “No.  _ Nooo _ ! You can’t—you can’t leave!” he whispered, reaching out to wrap his arms around me. “You  _ can’t _ !”

I rested my head against his chest. He cradled my head to his heart with one hand “Don’t have a choice, Prom. I can’t… last much longer and don’t have… the  _ strength _ to fight it.” Just talking that much made me lose breath. I panted to get it back. “Just… promise me one thing.”

“Anything, Rory.”

“Help me make this… the  _ best _ last day.”

His fingers flexed in my hair. “Of course. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about leaving that last chapter on a cliffhanger for a while longer, but I still want to finish posting everything in this story before the year's out, so I decided to put this up. Enjoy!
> 
> (Let me know about any grammar mistakes you notice that I didn't catch!)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This is the last real chapter of the story. Everything after this is alternate endings and such so even though this is the last true chapter, I'm not marking it "Complete" yet. Not until the last different ending is up.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's read and commented on this, and everyone who's left kudos and just enjoyed this story in general.
> 
> I thought I would put my notes at the beginning so you guys could process this ending in peace. (For the record, I cried while I was writing it.)

I coughed, letting the dahlias fall from my mouth without reserve. This far from the tent we wouldn’t even wake Ignis—the lightest sleeper of the five of us. “P-Prom?” I managed to rasp out. My voice was breathy and almost gone. The pain of speaking through my burning throat made my eyes water.

“Yeah?” he replied. He was in slightly-better shape than me, but he was fading too.

“I can’t… breathe.”

“I know, Rory. I’m sorry.”

“What… did I do… wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

I wheezed and panted, getting my breath back after speaking that little took it all away. “Why didn’t… he love me?”

Prompto took as deep a breath as he could and sighed as best he could. “I can’t answer that, Rory. I can’t.” He held his arms out—at a lower angle than he used to when offering me a hug. I dragged myself over to him, the effort nearly wiping me out, and fell against his chest. His eyes were tinted with violet in the darkness. They held warmth, comfort—and fear. Neither of us had much time left.

“I know, Prom. I just…” The pain of talking and the heartbreak of what I knew was happening to me swept me up. I burst into tears and held onto him with what little strength I had left. “I don’t want to die!” I sobbed into his chest, choking on my own saliva, tears, and dahlias.

Prompto’s arms wrapped around me, trying for strong and comforting but not having the strength for it either. “I know. I don’t either,” he said.

I tried to squeeze his shoulders, but all my fingers could do was lightly dig into his bare skin. “You… still have…  _ time _ , Prompto,” I said, breathing hard. “Go… to Hammerhead! Tell Cindy… about… your feelings! You don’t… have to die!”

Prompto shook his head. “It wouldn’t make a difference, Rory.”

“Wh… why not?”

“These flowers aren’t…  _ for _ Cindy,” Prompto said, panting himself. His hand stroked my hair the same way he’d done when I was first starting to lose my strength from having a hard time breathing and I’d laid on his lap in the backseat of the Regalia. He held me to his chest, our wheezing almost in sync.

“What do you… mean?”

“They’re for you.”

“Wh… what?”

“I fell in love with  _ you _ , Rory. Out here. While you were dying and I didn’t know it.” He sniffed and wiped at his eyes and nose.

“… Why?”

“So many reasons. You’re strong and compassionate and you tried really hard to keep going despite the disease. You’ve always been a good friend to me and, I guess, it was kinda inevitable.”

I forced my body to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. “I’m… I’m sorry, Prompto.”

“Don’t be.”

“ _ No _ … that means… it’s  _ my _ fault… and… there’s no way… we both survive this. In fact… I can’t.” In. Out. In. Out. Come on, Aurora. Fight the flowers for just a few more minutes. Don’t leave Prompto alone out here in the dark. You’re stronger than this, aren’t you?

Apparently not.

I gasped. I could feel the petals brushing the inside of my throat. My breath rasped and fluttered. “Prom—Prompto?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t… I can’t breathe. I can’t…” I rested my forehead against his chest, feeling him cradle the back of my head in his hand. “I can’t…”

“Shhh. It’s okay. It’s gonna be over soon, Aurora. I’m here. I’m right here.”

“I’m so… sorry, Prompto…. But… thank you… for everything…” I curled my fingers into a loose fist in the back of his shirt, desperately clinging to him and the last vestiges of my life, coughing out more flowers and panting from the effort it took.

“Just breathe, Aurora. Try to breathe.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t breathe. And it was too hard to keep trying. My airways were closing too fast. “At least… it’s a peaceful end…” I whispered.

*****

Aurora went limp against Prompto’s chest, sighing one last time. The pain on her expression eased out, leaving serenity in its place. Prompto coughed. Daffodils landed in her hair. He held her close. “No…  _ no _ …” he wheezed. “It should have been me… I should have gone first…” He clung onto her tightly.

She was gone.

And with her gone, there was no cure for his affliction. He knew from the moment he found out her flowers were for Ignis and his were for her that he wouldn’t survive this. But he’d hoped she’d succeed in getting Ignis to fall for her so that she might be spared.

Breathing got a lot harder. The flowers in his lungs multiplied as her spirit departed and his sobbing wasn’t helping.

He wasn’t going to last much longer.

There was still so much that needed to be said—to Aurora, to his parents, to the other guys. Especially them. They wouldn’t understand why they’d wake up to Aurora and Prompto dead, buried in a pile of flowers. Ignis might. But Hanahaki Disease was more medical legend than reality. In all of Ignis’ vast stores of knowledge, he might not be aware of Hanahaki.

Fumbling a little, Prompto found Aurora’s notebook in her jacket pocket. She wouldn’t mind. He tore a page out, clicked her pen, and began to write.

 

_ Dear Ignis, _

_ I don’t have much time. She’s gone and I will be too, soon. So I’m gonna cut right to the chase and explain. _

_ She loved you, Ignis. Aurora loved you. She loved you so much she contracted Hanahaki Disease. Coughed up dahlias for weeks and managed to hide it from all of us. That’s what was wrong with her. Why she couldn’t keep up anymore and seemed to struggle breathing. I know she tried to get you to fall for her, but none of her attempts were successful. She asked me what she did wrong as she was wheezing some of her final breaths. I didn’t have an answer for her. She drowned in her own unreturned love and died with a broken heart. She was terrified of dying, despite her resignation to her fate. “At least it’s peaceful,” is what she said to me. _

_ She was our healer, but she couldn’t heal herself. _

_ And me, being the idiot that I am, fell in love with her as I cared for her. As I tried to help her get better in my own blind innocence to her condition. I fell for her strength and her stubborn determination. How she fought to never become a burden on us even though she was losing her ability to  _ **_breathe._ ** _ Despite her constant ragged breathing and clearly-ill demeanor, I fell right for her. Head-over-heels. I’ve done a lot of stupid things in my life but that’s gotta be near the top of the list. _

_ Because I contracted Hanahaki too. For her. Daffodils. I didn’t tell her until she was taking some of her last breaths. She loved  _ **_you_ ** _. The only way for her Hanahaki to go away without the hospitals in Insomnia would be for you to love her back. Which would mean mine couldn’t go away. Because she wouldn’t love me back. She’d have you: the man of her dreams and all she ever wanted. _

_ Strangely, I was okay with that. I guess real love is willing to sacrifice my happiness and my life for her. To see her happy. _

_ Even if, in the end, it all “came to naught.” She’s lying in my lap, gone, and I’m going to be joining her soon. Probably before the sun comes up. Had she not had the same disease I do, I’d probably have another couple weeks. But I don’t. _

_ Iggy, take care of Noct. I’m sorry this has to happen. I know you’ll take care of Noct the way you always have, but you know what I mean. He’ll understand, but you might have to explain some things to him. _

_ When you find this, when Aurora and I are both gone, bury us near each other, okay? Don’t bury us together though. She loved you. Not me. And I respect that. She wouldn’t want to be buried with me. She was always my friend though, so I don’t think she’d protest to being buried  _ **_near_ ** _ me. _

_ As long as I die holding her, I’ll die happy. I’m not letting her go once I finish writing this. I just wanted to let you know what happened. _

_ I assume you’re going to find us both dead surrounded by dahlias and daffodils. You’ll probably figure out what happened to us and understand before you find this, but you deserve to know the backstory behind why we both spent weeks coughing up flowers and ended up dying the same night. _

_ I feel myself going now. I can barely breathe. Take care of Noct, Ignis. Please. And tell him he was the best friend a guy could have. I love you guys too. You’re my brothers. The best family I’ve ever had. I’m sorry I had to leave like this. _

_ Good luck, _

_ Prompto _

 

Ignis stared at the letter and read it twice. Several of the words had been traced over a few times, bolding them for emphasis. Ignis looked up from the paper at the lifeless bodies that contained the souls of his friends a few hours earlier. Prompto indeed died clutching Aurora to his chest, if his current position was anything to go by. Both of them looked so incredibly different without their liveliness. Aurora’s hair had lost its luster and Prompto’s freckles faded. The cowlick of his bangs had fallen.

Small piles of drying daffodils and dahlias surrounded their embracing bodies.

Ignis fell to his knees and pulled his glasses off, wiping his eyes.

“Noct! Gladio!” he called, trying to keep the quivering from his voice. To no avail.

The other two appeared in moments, climbing out of the tent.

“Prompto!” Noctis exclaimed, rushing over. He checked for a pulse. And didn’t find one. With watering eyes, he looked to Ignis. “What happened?”

Ignis handed Noctis Prompto’s letter. Noctis’ eyes scanned it fast—and then again, much slower. Gladio was sweeping the flowers away from Prompto and Aurora’s limp forms. The letter was passed to Gladio when Noctis finished it.

Neither Noctis nor Ignis bothered to hide their tears. Two dear friends had passed away without so much as a word of warning when they’d had plenty of time to give the others one. They cried freely. Gladio sniffed and handed Ignis back the letter, wiping at his eyes and nose and trying not to feel the pain.

Noctis clenched his jaw. “We can’t let—how did we let this happen?”

“Both of them were good at hiding the truth from us,” Ignis managed to say.

“We lost  _ Prompto _ ! And… and Rory!” Noctis exclaimed, eyes livid. “They’re  _ dead _ , Ignis!”

“I  _ know _ ,” Ignis ground out, trying to pull himself together for the sake of his duty. How had he been so  _ blind _ ? To Aurora’s feelings and both hers and Prompto’s afflictions? He’d prided himself on his observation skills for most of his life. Yet he hadn’t realized two of his dearest friends had contracted a lethal illness that had slowly been robbing them of their strength.

He could he be so  _ stupid _ ?

Aurora always teased him about being perfect—smart, strong, good-hearted, caring—yet in his imperfection he failed her and Prompto spectacularly. She’d died a slow and drawn-out death because of him. And because of that, Prompto was gone too. “It’s all my fault,” Ignis murmured. “This is all my fault.”

“No it ain’t, Iggy,” Gladio said.

“In my blindness to her feelings  _ I killed Aurora and Prompto! _ ” Ignis retorted. “You read the letter—her feelings for me killed her and Prompto’s feelings for her killed him. If she hadn’t contracted Hanahaki he wouldn’t have been taking care of her and wouldn’t have fallen in love with her. If I hadn’t been so blind they’d  _ both  _ still be alive!” He scooped up the dahlias that had brushed over the ground to him in the night breeze and crushed them between his hands.

“You’re oversimplifying things, Iggy. Prompto probably would have fallen for her anyway. Whether he took care of her while she was sick or not. They were friends for years.” Gladio took a deep breath, trying to stay strong. But that was difficult when two of his friends were dead on the ground.

Noctis sighed. “It’s not your fault, Ignis. It’s no one’s fault but the disease’s. Rory would say the same.”

“Aurora was noble and kindhearted. She’d never pin the blame on someone in our group.”

“She would if it was deserved and one-hundred-percent true,” Noctis said. “Like if Gladio spilled a Cup Noodle in the tent she would  _ absolutely _ blame him. But this isn’t your fault.”

“How can you say that? Two of your best friends are  _ gone _ .”

“I know! And it’s eating me up inside too! But when the voice of reason around here starts talkin’ nonsense, I have to step up! I’m the king of Lucis now!” Noctis exclaimed. “And the best way to honor the memory of my fallen best friends is to do what they’d do and not let you blame your _ self _ , Ignis!”

Ignis blinked. “You’re… you’re right, of course. I just… Prompto and Aurora were my friends too.”

“I know, Iggy. And we’re all devastated to lose them. So let’s pin the blame where it belongs and mourn them in peace.”


	17. Optional Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you like where the story ended, its proper ending technically, this epilogue is optional. You don't have to consider it "canon" to this particular story. (As it is, I consider it canon because I can only handle so much sadness)

I woke with a gasp. My lungs were clear for the first time in weeks. I took several deep breaths. I could  _ breathe _ again. The relief was palpable.

“Wait… what? H-how?” I whispered. Something in my mind distinctly remembered dying in Prompto’s arms.

I sat up.

The Citadel. But a strong, perfectly clean and whole version of the Citadel. I was lying in the courtyard on my back in a beautiful silver satin gown. The same one that I wore to my first royal gala after I became a palace healer. But this one was patterned with embroidered dahlias and daffodils. “What’s… going on?” I wondered aloud, picking myself to my feet.

“My  _ dear _ Aurora,” a familiar voice said. I whirled around.

King Regis stood on the steps leading up to the Citadel entrance.

“Your Majesty!” I exclaimed, rushing over to stand below him and dropping to my knee.

He chuckled. “Oh, dear girl. Please don't kneel. In the afterlife, we are all equals. You have served my son so well over your short time in the world and you were taken from it too soon.” He took my hand and helped me stand up. “Your love was always strong. You’ve done well, my child.”

The afterlife. So I  _ was _ dead. But Regis was here to tell me what was happening.

“Thank you, Your Ma—Regis.”

He chuckled and set a hand on my shoulder. “You are welcome, Aurora.” He stepped down off the stairs. His limp was gone. “Walk with me. Tell me what happened. I didn’t expect to see you here so soon.” He offered me his elbow.

I took it. “Hanahaki Disease,” I said as we walked around the courtyard. It was beautiful and sunny. The courtyard was cleaner than I’d ever seen it. Even the nicks off the side of the Citadel from years of wear-and-tear were gone. “I fell head-over-heels for Ignis Scientia and contracted Hanahaki Disease. Coughed up dahlias for weeks. Eventually I suffocated.” I shrugged. “He didn’t love me back.”

“Aaah. I see.”

“King—Regis. Why is the afterlife the Citadel?”

He chuckled. “The afterlife is a perfected reflection of our world to our perception. You appear in the place where you were happy or have a lot of happy memories. If your happiest memories weren’t in one specific place—such as a childhood home—you appear where the person you have the happiest of memories with will appear. Or near something attached to your happy memories. I presume you enjoyed your time training as a healer in the palace.”

“I did. But most of my happiest memories recently are tied to that.” I pointed at where a ghostly reflection of the Regalia was parked in the courtyard.

Regis laughed. “I’m pleased you were happy with my son and his friends.”

“Yeah. I really was.”

“And your affliction didn’t sour the memories?”

“No… I was too determined to enjoy what time I had left. And Prompto… he really helped make my last couple weeks fun and bright.”

“Prompto… the blond who was such a dear friend to Noctis?”

“Yeah. He’s… he’s always good to be cheerful and fun.”

“I’m glad your time was enjoyable, if cut too short.”

“Me too. Come to think of it, Prompto should be joining us here too.”

“So soon?” Regis asked.

“Yeah… he contracted Hanahaki Disease too.” I sighed. “For… for me.” I gestured with my free hand to the embroidery of blue dahlias and white daffodils on my skirt. “The daffodils were because he fell in love with me. He really took care of me while I was dying even though he didn’t know what was happening and for some reason fell for  _ me _ . And because I already had Hanahaki when he got it… it was going to kill him too.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Regis said.

“Thank you. I don’t know how long he has though. Hours, days, weeks maybe. He was still in the middle stages of it while I was in the end. I don’t know.”

“Well, if he loves you, my dear, there is a chance he will appear here in the courtyard as well.”

“I hope so,” I said, glancing around. “Tell me about the queen. Has she been happy to see you?”

Regis started laughing. “Oh, my dear, it has been wonderful to see her again after all these years.”

I smiled. “That’s good to hear. I remember her from my earliest days training as a child with my mother. She was always kind to me.”

“Indeed. She always had a soft spot for children. Especially ones who were as kind and sweet as you.”

I blushed. “Thank you, sire—Regis.”

The king slowed to a stop as we reached the stairs after walking several laps around the courtyard. “Time is a bit strange in the afterlife. It’s difficult to tell how much time has passed in the mortal world. Now. With that said, why don’t you go explain this to your friend?” He nodded over my shoulder.

I whirled around.

Prompto was just barely sitting up across the courtyard. He had on his Kingsglaive uniform without the jacket so it was sleeveless. The embroidery on the front wasn’t the traditional Kingsglaive pattern. It was daffodils in silver thread. His hair was as spiky as usual—and his right wrist was exposed and bare. The tattoo he’d tried so hard to hide from us was gone. I’d only ever caught sight of it once and I’d never told the others it was there.

I gathered up my skirt and ran to him, barefoot. “Prompto!” I cried.

He lit up. “Rory!” He moved to scramble to his feet, but I fell onto my knees at his side and threw my arms around him before he could stand. He wrapped his arms around me too. “Where are we?”

“The afterlife,” I said.

“Oh.”

I cried into his shoulder. “Oh Prompto, I’m so sorry. You didn’t deserve this,” I said.

He shook his head. “No. I’m okay. I’m with you.” He scooped up my knees and pulled me into his lap. We curled up against each other. After dying in his arms it felt like home to be curled up with him.

“Prompto…” I whispered, clinging to him. “I’m sorry I didn’t love you in life.”

“Don’t be.”

“Could you let me love you in death?”

He shed some tears. “Of course I can,” he whispered, clutching me to his chest. “You look beautiful by the way.”

I smiled and laughed through tears. “Thank you. You look very handsome.”


	18. Alternate Ending #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know how video games have "Good", "Neutral", and "Bad" endings sometimes? Yeah, this is a "bad" ending. Which is why I wanted to post it first.

I coughed. The flowers came much faster and easier now. Several spewing out with a single cough that once might have only brought up one petal. I could barely breathe. Prompto was struggling too. I reached across the gap between our camp chairs, asking for him to take my hand. “Prom,” I gasped.

He grabbed my hand. “It’s okay, Rory.”

“You know better… than to lie to me…” I panted. “I’m not gonna survive the night.”

“No— _ no! _ Rory! You—you can’t leave!”

“No choice, Prom. But… before I go… I need to tell you… I love you. I really do. I love you so much. And… I’m glad that I get to spend the rest of my life with you. My best friend. Y’know, Noctis was right when he said we’d be a cute couple. Try… not to miss me… too much.” I coughed and pushed myself out of my camp chair, flower heads and petals spilling from my lap and onto the ground. The effort left me winded. I stumbled two steps to Prompto’s chair and fell into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me. “I should’ve done this… a long time ago…”

Cupping his face in my hands, I brought it to me and brushed my lips on his.

Immediately he deepened it, threading his fingers through my hair. Both of us sensed the other’s desperation. Wishing we had more time together. My hands slid into his soft blond hair, messing up the spikes and not even caring that my own would be a slight disaster by the time his fingers were free.

I was so deep in my love for him and my desire for the kiss that I forgot to breathe. Black dots swarmed my vision, blotting the light orange of the fire beyond closed lids and turning it to black.

*****

Aurora went slack against Prompto’s chest, her lips sliding away from his. Her breaths were short and shallow. She was unconscious and wouldn’t wake ever again. “No. No, Rory, don’t leave me!” Prompto begged through tears. “RORY!”

He sobbed, clutching her to him.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

No. The worst part was that his love that gave him Hanahaki was requited. She loved him. He could feel the flowers in his lungs shrinking, withering, and dying. His throat tickled. He threw up onto the ground, holding Aurora out of the way. Dead daffodil plants landed in front of the fire.

Ignis emerged from the tent. “What’s happened?” Ignis asked, hair a mess and glasses slightly skewed.

Prompto clung to Aurora’s body. “What’s happened? What’s  _ happened _ ?! Well, Mr. Brainiac: Aurora is dead and it’s all your fault!”

“I… what?”

“She’s dead! She’s gone!” He let Aurora’s body tilt down to reveal her peaceful, lifeless face, her eyes closed. The shine to her hair had faded. A stray dahlia petal was stuck to the corner of her lip. Prompto didn’t even bother to hide his tears.

Ignis approached carefully—and froze when Prompto clutched Aurora’s body closer to him defensively. He put his hands up to show surrender. “I mean no harm, Prompto. What do you mean when you say it’s my fault?”

Prompto glared at him, eyes violet in the darkness. “She loved you. She loved you  _ so much _ she contracted Hanahaki Disease! Yeah, apparently it’s a real thing! I thought it was fake too—until I caught it. For her. Because she’s my best friend and, really, it was inevitable.” He gestured with one arm to the pile of daffodils on the ground. “Except while we were dying together, she fell for me in return. Dream come true turned into my worst nightmare. Her love cured me, but hers couldn’t be. Because the flowers in her lungs would only go away if  _ you _ loved her back. And you didn’t. So the flowers filled her airways and she drowned in them!”

The other side of the tent flap was pushed away. “What’s all this commotion about?” Gladio complained.

“Aurora… she’s passed,” Ignis said.

“What?!” Gladio demanded—so loud it woke Noctis. “What do you  _ mean _ Aurora’s passed?”

“Passed where?” Noctis mumbled.

“Dead, Noct! She’s  _ dead! _ ” Prompto shouted.

Noctis was instantly awake and alert. “Wait, what?!”

Prompto impatiently brushed tears off his face on his bare arm and explained again, getting more and more irritated. Aurora’s dead weight in his lap was making his legs go numb but he couldn’t bear to put her down.

Ignis stepped forward again, but Prompto flinched backward. “Don’t touch her!” he cried.

“Prompto, we ought to give her a proper burial. Let me—”

“Don’t you dare! You don’t deserve her!”

“None of us did,” Gladio reasoned, approaching Prompto slower. “She was way too good a healer for any of us. And too good a friend. She cared so much. C’mon, Prompto. Let me take her and lie her on her sleeping bag.”

Prompto curled around Aurora’s body protectively, but once Ignis backed off he relaxed enough to let Gladio carry her into the tent. Bringing his knees to his chest, Prompto broke down into relentless sobs in his camp chair. Some of the sobs were from grief, some from anger.

“Prompto,” Ignis started gently, resting a hand on Prompto’s shoulder. He jerked away.

“Don’t touch me! It’s your fault my best friend is dead!” Prompto stood so abruptly he knocked his camp chair over and bolted from the campsite.

He ran out into the darkness, not even paying attention to where he was going. He heard Ignis and Noctis shouting for him, but he ignored them all. He could run forever without irritation now that the flowers were purged from his lungs.

Once he was far enough away from camp that no one would hear him, he broke down again. Aurora was his best friend. His first friend. She was his rock. His strength. He didn’t want to go on without her. He knew she’d want him to be happy, but where was his happiness without her? How could he just go on? There was no way.

“Hey,” Noctis greeted after a few minutes. “I know you’re upset. You have every right to be. But… I thought I’d ask if you want to help me find a spot to lay her to rest. I was thinking at the crest of a hill. She always loved a good view.”

Prompto sniffed and wiped his eyes and nose. “Y… yeah. Okay.”

“Daemons are out though. It’s after dark. We should probably wait till morning.”

“No. We can’t… we can’t just leave her dead in the tent all night. She needs to be put to rest.”

Noctis set his hand on Prompto’s shoulder. “She loved you, Prompto. More than anything. I could see it long before either of you even realized your feelings for each other. She always smiled at you with the warmth of true love that I never saw her give anyone else. Not even Ignis.”

Prompto sighed and clenched his jaw. “Let’s just find a place to bury her.”

He pushed himself to his feet and turned the flashlight clipped to his vest on so they could navigate the darkness.

*****

“Hey Rory. It’s been a while,” Prompto greeted, kneeling at the large boulder marking where she’d been buried. Her name, birthdate, and death-date were carved into the rock.  _ Here lies Aurora Lux Aubade. Beloved daughter, friend, and healer. _

The top of the hill where they’d buried her had become a patch of wild light blue dahlias. Prompto set a bouquet of white daffodils on the rock and knelt among the dahlias.

“We’re mostly doin’ alright. Noct is still gone. Without you… it’s been hard. On all of us. Iggy went blind not long after… you left. Were you still here, you might have been able to give him back his sight. Who knows?

“I miss you more and more every day. The more I don’t talk to you, the more I feel like I’m going crazy. Talking every day since we were nine to suddenly not at all? It’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to me. I don’t like it. I miss you so much. I love you so much. Still. And I’m still angry that we didn’t get our happy ending. I swear to you, Noct, me, and the others will tear Ardyn apart for what he did to you. You will be avenged. I promise.”

He went from kneeling to sitting. A few tears slipped out of his eyes.

“The light’s fading too. Not that I’m surprised. There could never be a world of light without you. Soon there will only be darkness. An eternal night. Just as well. The world doesn’t deserve the light after taking you. If I get to put a bullet through Ardyn’s eye and end him, justice will be served. But after that… I have no idea how I’m going to get through the rest of my life without you. You and Noct were everything to me and now you’re both gone. It’s not fair that I have to stay here, alone.

“Okay. Well. Not  _ entirely _ alone. Ignis and Gladio are still here. But it’s not the same. I miss you. So  _ much _ . So be good in the afterlife, okay? And when I finally see you again, I’m going to give you the biggest hug. Maybe even a kiss, if you let me. I love you, Aurora. Wait for me.”

*****

“Prompto!” Gladio shouted as the Iron Giant swung its massive, red-hot weapon. Noctis had gone inside the Citadel—to confront Ardyn and put an end to the Starscourge. Leaving his three best friends out in the courtyard to deal with the daemons.

Ignis slammed his elbow into Prompto’s side, shoving him out of the way as the huge, smoking weapon crashed into the pavement. Prompto landed on the concrete  _ hard _ . He grunted in pain and picked himself back to his feet. “Thanks, Ignis,” he muttered, rubbing his ribs.

Ignis nodded, eyes focused about an inch from Prompto’s left ear. “You’re not joining Aurora yet,” he said.

Prompto’s eyes unfocused. He’d thought of Aurora every day for the past ten years—apart from today. Today had been so important for the future of Lucis that everything had been driven from his head. Just the mention of his childhood best friend, though, was enough to distract him.

He ground his teeth together. “No. Not yet,” he muttered, determined. “She’d kill me when I got to the afterlife for being stupid.”

Ignis chuckled. “There you go,” he said.


	19. Alternate Ending #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I call this one a "Good" ending, but I also call it the "Doctor Who" ending because of 9's line in The Doctor Dances, LOL. (It starts the same as Chapter 16 but ends VERY differently)
> 
> And, for the record, @welovegroot on Tumblr, my beta reader, convinced me to put this one up next instead of another one.

I coughed, letting the dahlias fall from my mouth without reserve. This far from the tent we wouldn’t even wake Ignis—the lightest sleeper of the five of us. “P-Prom?” I managed to rasp out. My voice was breathy and almost gone. The pain of speaking through my burning throat made my eyes water.

“Yeah?” he replied. He was in slightly-better shape than me, but he was fading too.

“I can’t… breathe.”

“I know, Rory. I’m sorry.”

“What… did I do… wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

I wheezed and panted, getting my breath back after speaking that little took it all away. “Why didn’t… he love me?”

Prompto took as deep a breath as he could and sighed as best he could. “I can’t answer that, Rory. I can’t.” He held his arms out—at a lower angle than he used to when offering me a hug. I dragged myself over to him, the effort nearly wiping me out, and fell against his chest. His eyes were tinted with violet in the darkness. They held warmth, comfort—and fear. Neither of us had much time left.

“I know, Prom. I just…” The pain of talking and the heartbreak of what I knew was happening to me swept me up. I burst into tears and held onto him with what little strength I had left. “I don’t want to die!” I sobbed into his chest, choking on my own saliva, tears, and dahlias.

Prompto’s arms wrapped around me, trying for strong and comforting but not having the strength for it either. “I know. I don’t either,” he said.

I tried to squeeze his shoulders, but all my fingers could do was lightly dig into his bare skin. “You… still have… _time_ , Prompto,” I said, breathing hard. “Go… to Hammerhead! Tell Cindy… about… your feelings! You don’t… have to die!”

Prompto shook his head. “It wouldn’t make a difference, Rory.”

“Wh… why not?”

“These flowers aren’t… _for_ Cindy,” Prompto said, panting himself. His hand stroked my hair the same way he’d done when I was first starting to lose my strength from having a hard time breathing and I’d laid on his lap in the backseat of the Regalia. He held me to his chest, our wheezing almost in sync.

“What do you… mean?”

“They’re for you.”

“Wh… what?”

“I fell in love with _you_ , Rory. Out here. While you were dying and I didn’t know it.” He sniffed and wiped at his eyes and nose.

“… Why?”

“So many reasons. You’re strong and compassionate and you tried really hard to keep going despite the disease. You’ve always been a good friend to me and, I guess, it was kinda inevitable.”

I forced my body to breathe. In. Out. In. Out. “I’m… I’m sorry, Prompto.”

“Don’t be.”

“ _No_ … that means… it’s _my_ fault… and… there’s no way… we both survive this. In fact… I can’t.” In. Out. In. Out. Come on, Aurora. Fight the flowers for just a few more minutes. Don’t leave Prompto alone out here in the dark. You’re stronger than this, aren’t you?

Apparently not.

I gasped. I could feel the petals brushing the inside of my throat. My breath rasped and fluttered. “Prom—Prompto?”

“Yeah?”

“I can’t… I can’t breathe. I can’t…” I rested my forehead against his chest, feeling him cradle the back of my head in his hand. “I can’t…”

“Shhh. It’s okay. It’s gonna be over soon, Aurora. I’m here. I’m right here.”

“I’m so… sorry, Prompto…. But… thank you… for everything…” I curled my fingers into a loose fist in the back of his shirt, desperately clinging to him and the last vestiges of my life, coughing out more flowers and panting from the effort it took.

“Just breathe, Aurora. Try to breathe.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t breathe. And it was too hard to keep trying. My airways were closing too fast. “At least… it’s a peaceful end…” I whispered.

“Rory? Rory, don’t—don’t!” Prompto begged, clinging to me. His own breath had the wheeze of an asthma attack and his embrace wasn’t as strong as I was used to from our years and years of friendship.

I managed to find the back of his head with my hand. “Prom…” I pulled his head down and kissed him. I could taste daffodils on his lips. His fingers tightened around my shoulder blades. He tilted his head for a better angle and sighed. “I’m sorry,” I rasped. “For… everything. I do love you, Prompto. I really do. There’s no one… I’d rather die beside.”

My eyes were watering and my throat was burning.

The warm summer night turned frigid. I huddled closer to Prompto, convinced that death’s chill wind was overtaking me, and let the tears fall from my eyes.

It wasn’t until Prompto shivered that I realized maybe something else was going on.

I heard Prompto gasp. “Rory… Rory look!” he breathed.

With what little strength I could muster up, I turned from his chest.

“L… Lady Shiva…” I managed to whisper.

The Glacian smiled gently at the both of us. She reached forward and quickly caressed both of our faces, a trail of frost left in their wake. Her fingers were freezing against my skin. Prompto flinched.

Before we could ask any questions—or even alert the others to the fact that the _Ice Goddess_ was at our campsite—she planted her hands on both of our chests.

My rib cage turned to icicles under her touch. My heart, sluggish from the lack of oxygen, slowed even more. Prompto’s grip on me slackened and mine on him did as well.

Everything down to my core was frozen. Like I would never warm up again. All the water in my body had turned to ice and I was just a popsicle. 

When I was younger, I’d been in the backseat of my parents’ car with the window down in winter because I was ill and had a fever. I’d been wearing a pair of earrings at the time because we were going to some gathering. The cold wind caused the post of the earring on the window side to grow so cold that I could feel it in my pierced hole.

I felt that again, somewhere deep in my lungs.

I couldn’t help but gasp at the sensation. It almost reminded me of chewing mint gum and then taking a drink of ice-cold water. Or just breathing on a winter day when one becomes extremely aware of the existence of their lungs due to the chill.

Shiva’s grin widened and she gave us a wink. Tapping a finger to her lips to signal us to stay quiet, she rose into the air and disappeared into the night.

The fire seemed to regain its strength, washing me and Prompto in heat.

I fell onto all fours and coughed—I’d been holding my breath while the Glacian touched us.

Apparently the same, Prompto copied my position and started coughing too. Harder than usual.

Expecting a few more petals or full-bodied dahlia heads to come shooting out of my mouth with my coughing, I nearly shrieked when stems came with them.

All of them frozen, shrivelled, and dead.

I glanced over at Prompto in alarm. He was the same, a small pile of ice-encrusted daffodils with their stems still attached was growing underneath him as he expelled them from his lungs.

The scratching at my throat continued until I’d coughed up a bush-worth of dahlia plants.

The roots came at the end of the fit. Most of them coated with blood. I felt like I’d hacked up a lung along with the flowers. I panted from the effort it took to purge the dahlias from my body. But for the first time in weeks I could breathe properly. Oxygen flooded my system and made me feel the closest I would get to being high.

I glanced at Prompto. “P-Prom?” I said.

His pile was smaller than mine—but he hadn’t had the disease as long as I had. He also had roots on the top. His eyes met mine, shining but exhausted. “Rory!” he breathed.

We scrambled to each other and fell into each other’s embrace, breathing in almost perfect sync—relieved that we finally could again. “Shiva… she—she saved us!” I said, burying my face into his neck. He smelled like daffodils.

Quietly we sent a mutual prayer of gratitude to the Glacian for her intervention that spared our lives.

“ _What_ is going _on_ out here, you two?” Ignis demanded tiredly as the tent flap unzipped. “It sounds like you’ve passed through a field of something allergenic!” He crossed the campsite over to us—and froze when he saw the piles of plants that had blood on the roots and Prompto and I recklessly tangled together. “Aurora. Prompto. What happened?”

I cleared my throat, a stray petal caught on the side of my throat flying out and landing on my lap. I couldn’t help but beam—gaze focused mostly on Prompto. “Doesn’t matter anymore. We’re okay now.”

Before Ignis could ask what in the name of the Six I was talking about, Prompto had cradled the back of my head and pulled me to his lips. I met him with excitement and joy.

“Well _that’s_ about time,” Noctis’ voice muttered sarcastically. I snickered but didn’t let Prompto go.

I wasn’t planning on letting him go for a long time.

*****

“Prompto?” I called, wandering our apartment in Lestallum. There weren’t many places to go inside. “Prom, where are you?”

I turned the corner into the living room.

He was sitting on the sofa, thumbing through an old photo album I’d taken on the trip. It was small but full of memories. Most of them of him and me when we were little elementary school kids. He had one of his headphones in, which accounted for why he hadn’t heard me.

“Haven’t seen you look at that in a while,” I said casually, plopping down next to him and crawling into his lap. He wrapped an arm around me and poked the picture he was looking at.

“You were right, of course. These are a reminder of how far I’ve come. But they’re also a reminder of how far we’ve come together. Look at this,” he said.

It was a picture of me and him on my tenth birthday. My parents had let me bring a friend to the movies since I didn’t want to throw a party—because I didn’t have enough friends to _have_ a party—and I’d brought Prompto. He was awkwardly standing underneath the poster of the movie we’d seen on one side, me on the other. He looked nervous with a forced smile, hands trying to cover his middle while I beamed on the other side of the poster, completely oblivious to his discomfort at having his picture taken.

“I remember that,” I said, leaning my head into his neck.

The next page was my eleventh birthday. Autumn birthdays meant there wasn’t a lot to do—couldn’t go swimming or have outdoor parties unless everyone brought a jacket—so he and I had gone with my parents to go bowling and then the arcade next to the bowling alley. He was a little bit thinner. We were standing closer, both pointing up at the scoreboard and beaming. _Rory: 117, Prom: 98, Mom: 65, Dad: 83_

And so on through the pages. Pictures of me and him, taken by my parents, on birthdays through the years. Twelve was us at laser tag. Thirteen trying to make cupcakes, both of us smeared with flour. Fourteen was a selfie of us at AutumnFest—an outdoor carnival that happened to be on my birthday that year—wearing each other’s sunglasses and laughing. At fifteen, Noctis had joined and Prompto was skinny and gangly. That picture had Prompto giving me a piggyback ride while I was laughing, my hair falling over both of our shoulders, and Noctis was standing off to the side, smirking at the camera with his arms folded. We were at the movies again. Mom had taken the picture as she dropped us off instead of accompanying us. She’d had some misgivings about me going to the movies alone with two boys but Dad talked her down. Said it was _Prompto_ and she had no reason to worry.

Sixteen was winter ball at school that my mom happened to be chaperoning—it was me teaching him how to waltz.

The looks in our eyes were so happy as the years went on. The one from the dance was full of love for both of us.

“Prom?”

“Hmm?”

“How was I so stupid?” I asked, curling up in his lap and nuzzling into his chest.

“What do you mean?”

“Look at these pictures. Look how happy we are in them. How could I ever fall in love with anyone who wasn’t you?”

Prompto squeezed his arms around me. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter to me. Not anymore. Because I have the most beautiful, smartest, kindest, funniest girl in all of Eos sitting on my lap, loving me.”


	20. Alternate Ending #3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the second-to-last alternate ending. One more (that will be split into two parts because it's so darn long)! Enjoy this one and all the feels in it and coming! Let me know if I made a typo or skipped a word!

“Ignis?” I asked quietly. “Can I talk to you for a second? Outside?”

“Of course, Aurora,” he said, following me out of the tent. I smiled as he zipped it closed behind us and joined me at the edge of the haven where I was standing, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. “What’s troubling you?” His eyes were an extremely intense green in the gold firelight.

I cleared my throat. “I, uh… I have feelings for you. Romantic ones. It took Prompto… two weeks? Three? To convince me to tell you.” I coughed out a few petals but kept them hidden in my fist. “And I… I don’t want you to feel…  _ obligated _ but…”  _ But I don’t have a lot of time left, _ I thought. “I figured if we’re on a dangerous mission to save the world, I might as well tell you. Just, y’know, in case I die.”  _ Sooner rather than later and not for any of the reasons you might think _ .

Ignis stared at me, eyes intense green with the dying light of the smoldering embers of our campfire. His expression was  _ completely _ unreadable. Which was making me a little nervous. Outright rejection… would hurt my heart on a normal basis, but knowing there was no cure for the stupid Hanahaki Disease taking over my lungs would sting all the worse.

“You think… you may die?” he asked.

“I think that even as a healer I’m not in full control of life and death,” I replied. “I can try to control your guys’, but there’s no way I can control my own.” I shook my head. “But that’s beside the point.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said. He stared at me for a moment. “Romantic feelings are… not something I’m… particularly familiar with. However, I’ve been feeling more deeply as of late and… some of that has been directed at you. I would… certainly be willing to try pursuing a romantic relationship—with  _ you _ , if you’d be so willing.”

I could barely believe my ears. Was he  _ serious _ ? Ignis was usually serious—but this meant there was a  _ chance  _ that my Hanahaki could be cured.

“I… I  _ would _ . Be so willing, I mean,” I said, almost breathless with relief.

Ignis smiled. “Then shall we give it a try?”

“I could think of nothing better.”

Looking cautious, like I might flee at any moment, Ignis set his hand on my shoulder. It slid up to circle the back of my neck. “May I?” he asked, voice quiet.

“You may,” I replied, voice breathless.

Slowly, gently, Ignis leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. My heart sped up and my lungs immediately burned. It was tender and soft. There was no rush. No pressure. It was just Ignis and me under a beautiful starlit sky.

When he pulled away, I couldn’t stop smiling, forcing myself to breathe and not hack up my lungs.

“Was that… alright?” Ignis asked hesitantly.

I beamed. “More than alright. I’ll, uh, I’ll go inside in a second.”

Ignis nodded and ducked into the tent.

Once he was inside, I left the haven, got out of earshot, and promptly expelled all the flowers, plants, and roots from my lungs in a violent bout of coughing and vomiting behind a large stack of boulders. Once my airways were clear, I felt better than I had in weeks. Like the old rush of endorphins I used to get after going on a really good run with Prompto when we were younger and he was losing weight.

It was definitely an oxygen high. But I wasn’t going to complain.

I did my best to bury the plants in the ground—maybe the blood-soaked roots would take hold in the soil and this patch would turn into wild dahlias—before making my way back to the haven. I washed the dirt off my hands with some of the extra water we kept around and then went back into the tent.

Ignis was still awake. “Everything alright?” he asked.

“Never better,” I said.

He reached up and touched the corner of my lip. “You’re bleeding. What’s wrong?”

I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand. “I’ll explain later. I promise. For now, I just want to sleep. I’m exhausted.”

*****

“So, you’re remarkably chipper today,” Gladio remarked.

I nodded. “Yeah, my immune system finally kicked the bug that was making me sick in the butt and I feel really good. Better than I have in  _ weeks _ .”

“Is that right?” Ignis asked curiously.

“Yup.”

“Wonderful. How about you go wake Prompto and Noctis and once we have breakfast we can head out on a hunt?”

“Sounds like a great idea,” I said, kissing Ignis’ cheek as I passed him.

“Since when is that a thing?” I heard Gladio whisper to Ignis once I was closer to the tent.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Ignis remarked.

I slid into the tent and, after making absolute sure that Noct was still asleep, shook Prompto awake. “Psst! Prom!  _ Prom! _ ” I hissed.

His eyes blinked open blearily. “Rory…?”

“Yeah. Yeah it’s me. Guess what?”

“Mm?”

“They’re gone. The flowers. The Hanahaki is gone. I talked to Iggy last night.”

“Really?!” Prompto sat up so fast he smacked foreheads with me.

“Ow!” we exclaimed at the same moment. I rubbed my head. Prompto rubbed his too.

“Seriously, Rory? You’re cured?”

I nodded, almost frantically from relief and elation. “Yeah. Yeah I’m okay!”

“That’s… that’s great,” he said.

“You okay? You look sad.”

“Sad? Girl, you got your chocobos crossed. I’m never sad. Just tired is all. I am actually happy for you. Just tired. Can’t get enough air. You know the drill.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I know. Now we just need to go back to Hammerhead so you can tell Cindy and then hopefully we can  _ all _ be healthy and happy!” I smiled. “Hop to it, yeah? Iggy’s making breakfast,” I said. “I’m gonna wake up Noct and after breakfast we’re gonna go on a hunt. Make sure you watch your breathing.”

“Sure thing.”

I went over to Noct and nudged him in the side with my toe. “Wakey-wakey, Highness,” I said loudly. “Time to get up!”

Noctis groaned. “ _ Nooo _ .”

“C’mon! We’re goin’ on a hunt later! Iggy’s making breakfast.”

“Mmmmm…” Noctis complained.

“A’right, Noct. Let’s get going,” Prompto said, unzipping his sleeping bag.

I gave Prompto a grin and left the tent. He waved as he went searching for something under his sleeping bag.

*****

Aurora slept peacefully between Prompto and Ignis. Not her usual spot but no one was in their usual spot after the disaster that was the hunt. She’d fallen asleep next to Prompto as she’d tended to his wounds after that fight. She still wasn’t as physically fit as the boys—though Prompto had noticed she was keeping up for even longer than she would have before the Hanahaki had hit—and had exhausted herself trying to keep up with everyone’s health.

Prompto coughed into his hands, staring at her sleeping face. She looked so serene, sleeping without ailment.

Silently and slowly, he slid out of his sleeping bag and out of the tent.

He was getting worse. He might have a few more months of the Hanahaki, but it was just going to gradually weaken him until he was completely useless and dying.

And… with Rory and Ignis together… well. He knew he wasn’t going to be cured and survive this.

But he loved Aurora with his whole heart and she was his best friend. He wasn’t going to let that sadness get in the way of him supporting her until his end. Their entire friendship had been based on supporting each other when no one else had—there was no way in Eos he was going to ruin that now. Even disregarding his romantic feelings he loved her too much for that.

All she needed to know, with his final breath, was that he always loved her. He wouldn’t even specify.

Sitting on the ground next to the mostly-dead fire, he pulled out his phone and started typing in his notebook app. Most of the notes were reminders to himself— _ ”Clean your gun,” “Keep the camera charged,” “Go for a run before Crownsguard training,” “Grocery list, dictated by Ignis” _ —but there were others too. Vague ideas of photo compositions, a bucket list of locations to photograph.

He opened a new note page and started to write.

_ Dear Rory, _

_ By the time you read this, I’ll be gone. You’re the only one who knows my phone passcode so I imagine you’ll find this pretty easily. _

_ Now that I’m gone, I think it’s time to come clean: I didn’t contract Hanahaki Disease because I had unrequited feelings for Cindy. The flowers were for you. They would always have been for you. You’re my best friend and I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone more than I love you. _

_ I didn’t tell you because I wanted to support you to the end, the way you always supported me, and I wanted to make sure you never doubted your love for Ignis. He’s a great guy. Sorry if I just threw a wrench in that relationship. Don’t let a dead idiot come between you and your happy ending, you hear? That’s gonna be my last wish—that you don’t let anything I’ve said in this note get in the way of your happiness. I just wanted to make sure that, in death, there were no secrets between you and me. _

_ If I’m gone, you’ll probably have seen the tattoo on my wrist. The barcode. I don’t know why it’s there and I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. I hid it, even from you, because it made me “other.” _

_ I never totally fit in with you four and that barcode would have just reaffirmed that. You four were palace people, I guess. I was always just a civilian. Just a nobody. Even though you and I are technically “ranked” the same or whatever, you were raised to be part of the palace staff. And you’re incredible, have I mentioned? I’ve never had a better healer looking after me and making sure I’m healthy and cared for. _

_ I couldn’t ask for a better best friend. _

_ Rory: be happy, even though I’m gone. I’m just brave enough to hope that you loved me as a best friend, and I think that you’re gonna hurt because I died. But you were always a lot stronger than me. You’ll bounce back and be so happy with Ignis. Let him comfort you and give you the love and respect you deserve. You’ll have a good life together. _

_ But, if I can request one thing? If you haven’t buried me by the time you read this, the bracelets I wear are all yours. If you want something to remember me by. _

_ I’m leaving the camera and my guns in your care. I know you’ll look after them. They’ll let you fight on the edge of the combat without having to brave the fray. And I know I’ve taught you the best way to take pictures, so the camera is left in your care. _

_ Take lots of pictures of Noct’s wedding if it ever manages to happen. The event of the decade. _

_ I wish that I could see you in your bridesmaid dress that day. And then your wedding dress when you and Iggy finally tie the knot. _

_ But hey, I saw you put the bridesmaid dress on at the fitting that one time so at least I saw you in it once. Pretty sure if I saw you in it at the actual wedding I’d be crying before Lady Lunafreya could even walk down the aisle. You’re so beautiful in that dress. You’re gonna be the prettiest bride in all of Eos one day. I’m sorry that I’ll have to miss it. Gimme an earful when you reach the afterlife and find me. I hope it’s not soon. I’ll need decades to muscle up my courage for THAT lecture and you’ll need decades to live your life to its fullest—and think about what to say to me, I guess. _

_ Aurora. I love you. Literally more than life itself at this point, I guess. If I’d rather die than come between you and your happy ending. _

_ Which is probably really dumb, I know. _

_ Rory, take care of Noct and the others. You do the best job at it (don’t tell Ignis. He’d get all huffy. But I’m biased, go figure, haha). _

_ Just be okay, k? You’re gonna have such a good life. If Ignis ever disrespects you, just shoot him in the leg. You have my permission. It’ll teach him a lesson and it’s not like you can’t heal him immediately. _

_ I know I’m gone, but you’re gonna be the best healer in all of Eos. You already are. _

_ Hey… Eos and Aurora both mean dawn, did you know that? I’m sure you did. You’re so smart. I dunno why but that just occurred to me. _

_ Anyway. Go light up the world with your dawn and have the best life. _

_ I love you. So much. _

_ Forever yours, _

_ Prompto _

 

_ PS, I added this way after I wrote this note: I thought I was going to die before we ever got to Altissia and Lunafreya was killed. Still, I am sorry to miss your wedding whenever that may be. You’ll make the most beautiful bride. _

*****

I stared at the note I found on Prompto’s phone. His black leather bracelet was already around my wrist. The note had caught my attention pretty quickly, because his lockscreen had changed from a picture of the two of us to a screenshot of his notebook app that said:  _ Aurora, check my notes _ . And upon opening the notebook app I saw a note near the top that said  _ Dear Rory _ .

“Aurora? What’s wrong, darling?” Ignis asked.

I shook my head and wiped my tears. “Prompto is such an idiot,” I said, voice thick with emotion.

Ignis tugged the phone out of my hand. “What do you mean?”

“He lied to me, for one thing,” I said, snuggling against Ignis’ side. “Just read it.”

Ignis wrapped me up in his arms as he read. “He had… Hanahaki Disease?”

“We both did,” I admitted. “That’s why I needed a minute after that night a few months ago when you and I got together before going back into the tent. I went and got all the flowers out of my lungs. Prompto  _ said _ his flowers were for Cindy. That liar.”

“You didn’t tell us.”

“There were more pressing matters. And now… Noct’s been gone for two months within the Crystal, the daylight is gone, and  _ Prompto _ is gone. It’s just you, me, and Gladio left. How are we going to manage this?”

“The way we always have: together.”

I sighed. “He’s my best friend, Iggy. How was I so stupid?”

“I suppose he was rather determined to keep you from finding out. Just as you were determined not to tell me.”

I cried, letting Ignis hold me.

“There, there. I understand. I’m going to miss him too. At least Noctis doesn’t have to know until he returns from his time within the Crystal. But you have to do as he says and live, Aurora. Live happily. Live for his sake.”

“I know.” I nodded. “I just… I wish he hadn’t had to live out his last days in the darkness.”

“Did you read that note? He didn’t. He had you.”

“But he  _ didn’t _ .  _ You _ had me. And, Ignis, I still love you deeply but Prompto was my best friend. And I thought he was doing all that hunting around Hammerhead to work on getting Cindy to like him. I was so stupid and it makes me so angry to even think about that.”

“Rory,” Gladio said, approaching. “Let’s have him buried.”

“I let him die alone—I thought he had  _ time _ —I was going to come be with him if he wasn’t going to make it—he didn’t tell me—”

“Aurora, darling,” Ignis interrupted. “It’s not your fault.”

Gladio started brushing the pile of daffodils off Prompto’s still body.

“Be gentle with him!” I said.

“I am. But we need to have him buried before he comes back daemonified,” Gladio said. “Bury him deep.”

I nodded. “Let’s do it.”

*****

I knelt at the gravestone where Prompto was buried. “Hey Prom,” I said, setting down a bouquet of yellow roses in the patch of daffodils that somehow managed to keep growing despite the utter lack of sunlight.

The boulder, carved with his birth and death dates, thankfully didn’t respond.

“It’s been a while. I miss you. Iggy and I got married a few weeks ago. Noct is still gone and the land is still dark. It’s been kinda quiet and boring without you. I’ve taken up photography—but, rightly so, Ignis won’t let me hunt daemons. At least not alone. We stick to Lestallum and I stay where I do my best work. In the hospitals. I’m still a good healer, but I do know how to use your guns now. Cor showed me after you died and your guns appeared in my armiger.” I blinked tears out of my eyes, letting them fall down my face. “I miss you, you idiot. I talked to you everyday from the age of nine to twenty and suddenly I never get to. It sucks. It’s like my whole routine is thrown off. I keep waiting for you to call or text me but it never happens.

“You’re such a jerk for leaving me. I love you and I’m not mad, but I miss my best friend. And sometimes I wish you’d told me the truth about your Hanahaki.

“I haven’t seen Ardyn since Noct went into the Crystal either, so I still don’t know how livid he is that I kept Ignis from staying blind and survived. That’s why he cursed me with the disease, after all. Hoping I would die. I don’t imagine seeing him again is going to end well. I might just shoot him in the face, no questions asked. Just like you did when we came across him in Zegnautus Keep.

“I, uh, actually came to talk to you because Iggy and I just got back from our honeymoon. And while we were trying to enjoy Galdin in the dark, we talked about you. The whole group loved you. We never thought you didn’t fit in. I wish you’d known that.

“I promise to come back whenever I can. And I’ll bring Noctis whenever that lazy oaf emerges from the Crystal. He always did like to sleep in and take his sweet time doing literally anything. But the next time I see him, I’ll make sure to bring him here. ‘Course, I’ll probably be here many more times between now and then. I promise. I miss you.” I kissed the tips of my fingers and pressed it to the gravestone. “I love you.”


	21. Alternate Ending #4 Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ending was 100% the idea of @welovegroot on Tumblr, my beta reader. And it's so long that I split it into two parts. This is Part 1. Part 2 should be up soon! (Like, tomorrow if I can.) This is *kind of* an alternate continuation of Alternate Ending #2 (aka the Good Ending). Enjoy!

I clung to Prompto, burying my face in his chest. He held me to him, burying his face in my hair. “We’re okay…! We’re  _ okay! _ We’re alive!” he whispered excitedly. The flood of oxygen to our systems was making both of us a little giddy.

I reached up and pressed my lips to Prompto’s. He responded enthusiastically, holding me close.

“Would someone like to explain what’s going on out here?” Ignis demanded, emerging from the tent.

“We’re alive!” I exclaimed quietly, throwing my arms up in the air.

“… Indeed. Is there any reason you wouldn’t be?”

Prompto and I both glanced at the piles of flowers we’d thrown up from our lungs and back to Ignis. “Uh… you ever heard of Hanahaki Disease?” I asked, slightly awkwardly, finding Prompto’s arm and holding onto it like an anchor.

“A fictional illness characterized by flowers growing in the lungs of the afflicted due to unrequited love. Eventually the afflicted dies of suffocation should their affections not be returned in time. A popular trope among fiction writers and artists.”

“Well… it’s not so fictional after all,” I said. “At least… not when powerful magical entities are involved.” I gestured to the piles of flowers. I beamed, turning from Ignis to Prompto. “But… we’re alive. Our lungs will be scarred from the roots for the rest of our lives but we lived. And we’re okay now.” I slid my fingers into Prompto’s hair. “And  _ I _ am stupidly, ridiculously, wholeheartedly in love with my best friend.” I accepted his kiss excitedly.

Ignis looked  _ really _ confused when Prompto and I pulled away from each other. “If you both contracted Hanahaki… shouldn’t it have gone away? The feelings were quite obviously returned.”

“Oh. My Hanahaki… wasn’t for Prompto,” I said awkwardly. “That happened while I was dying and he was taking good care of me.”

“I see. Am I allowed to ask who it  _ was _ for, perchance?”

Prompto squeezed my hand and gave me a smile. I glanced at Ignis. “They were for you,” I admitted, feeling my neck grow warm. “Why do you think I was flirting more these last couple weeks?”

Ignis looked  _ gobsmacked _ . “For… me?”

“Yeah. Had a  _ massive _ crush on you for a couple years. Don’t worry though. It’s in the past now.” I rested my head against Prompto’s chest. He held me tighter.

“You can go back inside, Iggy,” Prompto said. “We’ll come in soon. Just give us a few minutes.”

“Tomorrow we should talk about finally heading to Cape Caem. Oughta get to Altissia before Luna leaves. Can’t chase the Oracle forever,” I said. “At some point we need to meet up.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said.

The tent flap zipped closed.

*****

Ignis stared at the ceiling of the tent, one hand resting on his torso just below his ribs, the other on the floor of the tent at his side. Prompto and Aurora had come in a few minutes ago, sliding into their sleeping bags and then snuggling together as best they could. By the sound of their breathing, they were asleep. He sat up and looked over. Their hands were intertwined and their foreheads were pressed together.

They looked peaceful.

Happy.

Ignis sighed and flopped back down.

Part of him was loath to imagine Aurora had developed feelings for him and yet had never told him so. He was aware that not everyone was as… forthright as he was, but Aurora’s honest streak meant she told the truth even when it could be  _ dangerous _ to do so. He wondered what it was that convinced her to keep her feelings from him.

What he’d done wrong…

_ Stop that, _ he thought harshly to himself.  _ You’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve always treated her as a friend—with the respect she deserved as a healer and comrade. _

So why did he feel so  _ horrible _ ?

Perhaps it was because he felt guilty—blaming himself for the affliction that very nearly took her life. How she managed to be cured of it when her affections weren’t returned, neither she nor Prompto had explained.

Ignis let his mind wander. He’d never been overly given to creative imagination outside strategy and battle planning, but occasionally daydreams and fantasies had time to flourish in his mind before getting quashed by all his other responsibilities to the point where they were forgotten when he tried to recall them.

The abyss of imagination spun together a reality where she had told him. Before contracting Hanahaki Disease. How might he have reacted?

He supposed he would have let her down gently—he was, after all, much too busy for romance and always had been.

But what if he made another choice?

Aurora was an incredibly intelligent, sharp-witted young woman. One of the few people who could keep up with his own intellect with ease. He’d propose a strategy and she would immediately return with possible injuries that could be sustained, and offer a solution. She thought like a healer, but she had the cunning of a strategist.

Perhaps in this fantasy, he might realize that the two of them would be a smart match. Top strategist and top healer. He might indulge her feelings for him and make an offer of joining him for an evening out—to explore his feelings for her and see if there was potential for more.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t much of a stretch for Ignis to imagine falling in love with Aurora. He didn’t think it would take long either. She had a heart that cared deeply and never loved with anything less than everything she had. She had a sense of humor that matched closely to his own. Her laugh was infectious.

No, it wasn’t hard for him to imagine falling for her.

He glanced over at where she was sleeping, cuddled up to Prompto through their sleeping bags. Serene and breathing easy for the first time in three weeks.

Knowing now what had been afflicting her, his heart went out to her. How could he have been so stupid? In his belief that Hanahaki was fictional he’d never considered it. She’d been careful to hide the petals. Prompto too. As such, he’d missed it.

The emotions clouding his mind were thrumming quickly and difficult to decipher, but guilt was definitely one of them. Because of him, she’d nearly died. Sympathy was another. A deep sense of caring accompanied them. They’d been friends for a long time—she’d looked out for him for… years.

He supposed in some capacity that he’d loved her for years.

He looked back on all the times she’d patched him up. He’d begun physical training at sixteen. She’d been fourteen at the time and only occasionally showed up at the Citadel with her mother to shadow and observe.

When he was eighteen and more seriously considering joining the Crownsguard, he’d started training harder. That left him with a lot of injuries.

She’d officially started her training with her mother at sixteen. She’d patched him up more from then on. When he was twenty, she was hired on as a full-time healer. They’d seen each other quite often after that.

He remembered her smiles—trying to soothe and comfort through the pain of her patient. Her hands were dry from constant washing but they still managed to be soft as she wrapped bleeding injuries. She’d always been firm, but gentle, and full of light. He could see why Prompto had fallen for her as hard as he had.

*****

“Ignis! Get down!” Aurora shouted, tackling him down as the Tidemother’s wrath was threatening to wreak havoc on Altissia. Leviathan was roaring from the bay. Prompto had gone off with an odd, lance-shaped flying machine to get Noctis in closer. Aurora landed on top of him with an  _ “Oof!” _ and gave him a concerned look. “You okay?” Seawater and sweat was making some of her flyaway hairs cling to her face. There was a gleam in her eyes—panic, adrenaline, something heightened.

He nodded. “I’m alright,” he said.

She smiled in relief and climbed off him and offered him her hand. “Good. We should keep moving.”

He nodded and took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet. “Indeed.”

She took off running. Ignis watched from a pace behind.

A tidal wave of emotion crashed over him as the friendship he’d felt in regards to her for  _ years _ deepened and flourished into something else.

As they ran through the ruining streets of Altissia, Ignis found his throat scratching and drying. He slowed down and coughed for a moment.

“Sure you’re okay?” Aurora asked.

“Positive. Just dry from the seawater, I believe.”

“Well, if it gets serious, let me know.”

“Of course,” Ignis said.

They went back to running. Ignis coughed again, feeling something brush the roof of his mouth and cling to his glove. He paused and looked at it.

“What in the—” he breathed.

A flower petal.

Oh no.

“Aurora!” he shouted, sprinting to catch up with her, the flower petal pinched between his fingers.

“Yeah?” she asked, slowing to a stop.

Before he could say anything, an engine whined and a lance-like rocket dropped from the sky. “Rory!”

“Prompto!” Aurora bolted forward and threw her arms around him, planting her lips on his. “Thank goodness you’re alright!” She held him tight. Ignis stared at them both. She truly loved Prompto—likely more deeply than she ever had loved Ignis.

He couldn’t take that away from her.

Still loosely clinging to Prompto, she turned back. “What’s up, Ignis?” she asked. Her sharp eyes were already scanning Ignis’ form for signs of illness or injury.

Ignis just shook his head. He crushed the petal in his fist. “It’s nothing. Never mind. I thought I might have caught my arm on some debris, but it was just my sleeve.” He showed her a tear in his sleeve that he’d gotten earlier but hadn’t noticed. Aurora gave him a gentle smile—the kind that made Ignis’ heart ache.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay, Iggy,” she said.

Prompto slid his hand into hers. “Come on. We should keep moving. There’s more to do,” he said.

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed.

The three of them set off at a run. Since being cured of the Hanahaki, Aurora had become quite the fine runner. She kept pace with the rest of the group’s athleticism much better than she had before she contracted the disease.

As they ran, Ignis let go of the flower petal. What was a single petal in all this destruction? No one would notice it. No one would care. No one would know that something had taken root in his lungs.

The three of them eventually caught up with Gladio. “Y’alright, Iggy?” he asked. “Ya look winded.”

Ignis shook his head. “Fine. Little rattled from nearly dying is all.”

Gladio patted Ignis on the shoulder. “Get the feelin’ that’s goin’ around.”

“Yeah,” Ignis said.

“C’mon!” Aurora called from a few paces ahead. “We gotta finish the evac before we can help Noct!” Her hand was tightly clenched in Prompto’s and the two of them went running. Gladio pursued. Ignis brought up the rear, feeling his muscles shake a little. From adrenaline or fear over what the flower petal meant, he wasn’t sure.

Not long after they finished evacuating citizens, an airship crashed through the bridge they were running across, separating Ignis from the others. He ended up in the water. With no clue where the others were.

Upon surfacing and spluttering out seawater, another flower petal flew out of his mouth and into the water.

Treading water, Ignis caught it up.

A daffodil petal. Immature. Just like the one Prompto had coughed up at breakfast all those weeks—months?—ago.

Ignis crushed it in his gloved fist and shoved it down in the seawater before swimming for a set of stairs to get out of the canal. He was grateful Altissia had canals to fall in so he wasn’t landing on concrete, but still, being wet wasn’t his preferred state.

“Ignis? Are you okay?!” Aurora demanded in his earpiece.

“Fine. Just a tad waterlogged.”

“We’ll head for the altar. See you there.”

“See you there.”

*****

Rain striking his face in darkness, Ignis stared at the Ring of the Lucii that had fallen from Noctis’ hand when Ardyn kicked him over. It was blurry given his glasses had been knocked off and the rain was fighting hard to get into his eyes, but it was most definitely the king’s ring. Ignis had heard stories of non-royalty putting it on. It killed them to harness the power.

But Ignis had one job: protect Noctis.

And the flowers in his lungs would kill him eventually anyway. He’d rather burn to a crisp here and now from channeling more raw magic than any human had a right to than live for several more weeks in agony as flora began to obstruct his airways. He couldn’t have Aurora no matter how much he wanted her, and didn’t see the point in wasting away.

Might as well do something useful if he was going to die anyway.

He grabbed the ring and got to his feet. He was sure he was shouting something noble about protecting Noctis but his focus was divided. Between his blurred vision at losing his glasses, to forcing his feelings for Aurora down into the jar where he kept all of his unprofessional emotions until he could be free to feel them later, and keeping his king—his greatest friend—safe.

Without hesitation, Ignis shoved the ring on his finger.

Burning immediately overtook him, but the fire was purplish-white, not the usual color of flame. He writhed where he stood, shouting and crying out in pain.

The world slowed to a stop.

Several sets of ghostly armor stood before him. He recognized them. The statues of the previous rulers of Lucis that comprised of the Old Wall back home in Insomnia.

One set of armor stepped forward. It was huge, glimmering, and almost overwhelming. Ignis recognized it as the armor of Somnus Lucis Caelum—the Founder King. “You call upon the wards of this world’s future, mortal. And if you come lusting for our power, you must first stand in our judgment.” The voice was deep and resonant. The kind that made Ignis’ ribcage vibrate like the lowest rumble of thunder.

Panting and trying not to cough, Ignis looked around him. “My name is Ignis Stupeo Scientia. Friend of the True King, Noctis Lucis Caelum. He is in danger. I come only to seek aid in protecting him.”

“Yours is not royal blood.”

“No. But he is my best friend—my brother. And I would gladly give my life to see him safe.”

“Your life is already expiring, mortal. There is a curse upon you, slowly eating away at your life.”

Ignis nodded. “I know. And I’d rather die protecting the True King than allowing the love I feel for a healer drain my life until I suffocate. Better to die a servant than drown in flowers.”

The kings and queen around him seemed to pass a thoughtful  _ “Hmm _ ” around.

“We will grant you our power, mortal. But know this: it will last until sunset. Normally, the cost would be your life. But the price we require of you is to stay with your king and your  _ curse _ until it takes you,” Somnus said.

Ignis’ blood ran cold at the thought of the Hanahaki draining him, making him suffer as he watched Aurora and Prompto suffer. But he knew why the Lucii would choose such a fate for him: to make sure he understood the gravity of asking them for their power.

“The other half of the price is losing what you hold most dear,” Somnus continued.

“You’ll not take Aurora,” Ignis said.

A chuckle echoed around the circle of royals. “No,” Somnus said. “She is not the price. We take from  _ you _ what you value most of yourself.”

“If I’m to be brain-dead as the price, I can hardly protect Noctis,” Ignis pointed out.

“Not that,” a different king said from Ignis’ left. “We’re not taking your intelligence either. We know what you value, and we know what will make you understand that asking for the power of the Lucii when one is not of royal blood is a grave thing indeed.”

“I see.”

“You have until the sun sets.”

“You have my thanks, Your Majesties.” Ignis bowed.

The armors around him faded, and the rain-soaked ruin of Altissia came back into focus. The burning resumed. The world around him took on a violet-white tint of magical power. Ignis cried out and backed away from everyone, purple-white fire dancing on his skin.

He fought Ardyn. It felt like the fight lasted only a few minutes. Ignis knew dusk wasn’t far off, but the rain clouds made time difficult to tell.

As the power of the Ring faded, the world around him went black.

He passed out.

*****

“Ignis?  _ Ignis! _ Wake up!” a familiar, comforting voice hissed. “Iggy, c’mon. It’s me. It’s Rory. Can you hear me?”

Ignis sighed, coming to consciousness. “Aurora…”

“Yeah. It’s me. Can you open your eyes for me?”

Ignis realized that, wherever he was, he was lying on something soft. A mattress. “How did…?”

“Gladio carried you. Prompto and I carried Noct. We’re still in Altissia. Several buildings on the farthest edge of the city, the furthest inland, survived the disaster. We came to a government guest quarters hotel-type place to heal and recover. Now come on, Ig. Open your eyes for me. I need to see the damage.”

“Damage?”

“You put on the Ring of the Lucii. It burned a good portion of your skin—including over your eye. I have to see it so I can try and fix it.”

Ignis slowly peeled open his eyes. Or rather, tried to. The left eye refused to open.

And he saw nothing. No shapes. No colors. He could sense a light was turned on, somewhere near the ceiling, and another lamp next to whatever bed he was lying on, but he saw none of it.

Aurora’s gasp told him all he needed to know.

The damage was bad.

He could also sense light coming from her, but wasn’t sure what that light was. Noctis’ healing magic that she borrowed? Her own inner goodness? Her love for Prompto? Her care and concern for Ignis himself? He had no idea.

He felt her reach out and touch the scarring over his left eye. As best he could, he lifted a weak, exhausted hand and grabbed her wrist. “Don’t bother,” he said. “This isn’t a wound you can heal.”

“What?” she asked, voice soft and gentle.

Ignis sighed. “The Lucii. This was their price. They said… they’d take what was most valuable to me.”

Aurora sighed. “You never were one for ambiguity. You liked your world crystal clear,” she quoted, remembering a conversation from the drive to meet Titan. Ignis squeezed her wrist comfortingly and removed her hand from his eye.

“Just so,” he agreed.

He could practically hear the gears whirring in her mind as she thought. “Let me heal the rest then. And I’ll leave your eyes alone.”

“Very well.”

He could hear her bustling about, and after she insisted he drink a potion, he found himself feeling quite a bit better.

“How’s Noct?” Ignis asked, ignoring the scratching of his throat.

“Still unconscious. I put the ring in his hand so he’d wake up with it.”

“Good. Swear to me you won’t tell him what happened.”

“Why?”

“He has to focus on his task. Not be distracted by concern for anyone—including me. Understand?”

“You stubborn—”

“I’m aware of your sentiments, Rory. Swear to me.”

“Fine. I won’t tell him. But you should.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

“Unbutton your shirt. Lemme listen to your lungs. Make sure you didn’t inhale water. I can’t have you dry-drowning on me.”

“How’s Prompto?” Ignis asked, trying to distract her. He wondered if she’d be able to hear that there were plants growing in his lungs.

“Fine. Gladio too. You and Noct got hit the hardest. And… Lady Lunafreya. By the time I reached the altar… there was nothing I could do. She was gone. I’m a good healer but I can’t bring back the dead.” Aurora’s warm hands reached out and started unbuttoning his shirt where he was faking being slow. He heard her breathe on her stethoscope to warm it up. It was still a bit chilly as she placed it on his bare chest. “Breathe in. And out. In… and out… in… and out… in… out…”

“You have your Healer Voice on,” Ignis remarked after she removed the stethoscope.

“Years of practice. Force of habit,” she replied. “Well, I didn’t hear any  _ water _ , per se, but you definitely have  _ something _ in your lungs. I’d love to do a scan or something but I think it’s just mucus. Keep an eye out—oh shoot. Sorry. No. Nevermind. Just pay attention to your health. You might have caught a cold. Falling in a canal of seawater and then fighting MTs in the rain might have…”

“I understand. I’ll pay attention.”

“Good. And I’ll ask around about getting a cane for you. Help you move around.”

“Thank you, Aurora.”

“Mmhmm. Get some more rest, Iggy. Hopefully you’ll feel better.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“One more thing. I promised you I wouldn’t tell Noct that you put on the ring to protect him. In return, promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

“Of course. I promise.”

“Good.” Aurora’s weight left the bed where she’d been sitting on the edge of it. Her footsteps crossed to the door and opened it.

“How is he?” Prompto’s quiet voice said.

Ignis heard them exchange a quiet kiss—and his heart gave a painful throb.

“He’s injured and… he can’t see. But otherwise… I think he’ll get better,” Aurora whispered, shutting the door behind her.

Once the door was shut, Ignis coughed, covering his mouth with his hands. They were bare. His gloves hadn’t been replaced after they fell off during the fight. He could feel flower petals escaping his throat, getting caught in his hands.

Exhausted, he felt around his bedroom for a rubbish bin. Once he found it, he threw the petals away and prayed to the Six Aurora wouldn’t notice they were there.

He felt his way back to his bed and sat down heavily. His hair was tickling his forehead. When he reached up, he felt his bangs flopped over his forehead. He brushed them out of his way. The rain must have washed away everything that held his hair in place.

A single tear slipped out of his good eye. The one that could still open.

“How did this all go so wrong?” he muttered, burying his face in his hands.

*****

“Rory!” Ignis exclaimed, reaching out and pulling Aurora out of the way of the malboro based on sound alone.

“I got her, Iggy,” Prompto said, feeling her get tugged out of his grip. “You just take care of you.”

Ignis felt his hand flop to his side. “This is getting ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath, conjuring his dagger and keeping his cane in the other hand. “I know very well that she won’t and can’t be mine but this longing is getting ridiculous.”

_ That was the price of protecting Noctis, Ignis, _ a seedy, irritating voice in the back of his head reminded him.

He coughed. The cough had been getting progressively worse since they left Altissia and boarded the train. Somehow, he’d been managing to hide the flower petals from everyone. He wasn’t entirely sure if full flower heads had made appearances yet, but the amount of petals had grown steadily. 

Aurora had been caring for Ignis and helping him get along without his eyes but that only made it worse for him. Every gentle touch reminded him that he missed his chance to be with her by being oblivious and blind  _ before _ he lost his ability to see.

“Babe! Gun!” Aurora shouted from somewhere off to Ignis’ right.

“Here!” Prompto shouted.

The loud  _ bang _ of a gunshot nearly deafened Ignis—his ears had slowly been getting more sensitive to make up for his lack of vision. The malboro screeched and yowled. Aurora’s shot must have hit its mark. Or, at least, some part of the monster.

The fight wasn’t going very well, though. The group called to retreat and regroup. Aurora’s hand found Ignis’ elbow. “C’mon,” she said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Lead the way.”

Aurora rushed him through the knee-deep water as quickly and efficiently as possible, trying to make sure he didn’t trip on anything but got away from the malboro unscathed. “Y’okay?” she asked, a sort of manic energy in her voice.

“Fine,” Ignis said, finding her hand on his elbow with his opposite one and resting his hand on top of hers. “Thanks to you. You take such good care of us.”

“It’s my job,” Aurora said, a shrug in her voice.

“Yo, Rory, babe,” Prompto exclaimed as his footsteps trudged through the water. “That was a  _ sick _ shot! I should really give you some proper gunslinger training! You’d be a natural!”

Aurora laughed as Ignis heard the sound of Prompto kissing her. His heartstrings made a painful  _ twang _ like someone plucking improperly at a harp. “Thanks Prom. I just saw an opening and thought I might be able to take it. I’ve been getting a little stronger since I got over the Hanahaki.”

While everyone regrouped, Ignis took the time to cough into his hands and shove the petals into his pockets. No one had told him whether there were flowers down in this cave near the tomb so he didn’t dare leave them to float on the surface of the water.

“Okay. Let’s go back and attack that salad monster with new force,” Gladio said, excitement and relish in his tone.

“Sounds good,” Noctis said.

“Let’s go,” Prompto said. Aurora’s quiet “Hmph” of agreement was the last noise Ignis heard before the sound of everyone wading through the water.

“Rory?” Ignis asked quietly, reaching out and searching for her.

A hand smaller than all the others took his. “Yeah?” she asked gently, tugging him back toward the fight.

“Are daffodils your favorite flower?”

Aurora chuckled. “They are. That’s why Prompto coughed them up for weeks. Imagine either of our miseries if yours or my favorite flowers were roses. Not only dealing with the slow suffocation but the  _ thorns _ too. Ouch.”

“Mm. Indeed. That would be unfortunate.”

“Say, Iggy, are you okay? You’ve been… lagging behind.”

“Aurora. I’m  _ blind _ ,” Ignis said.  _ And breathing is getting harder each day, _ he added silently.

“I know but… you seem  _ winded _ too.”

“It’s just a lot of extra effort to try and keep up without my sight.”

“Okay. But if you get sick or injured, you  _ have _ to tell me, alright?”

“Alright.”

“Alright. Now let’s go kick some salad monster butt.”


	22. Alternate Ending #4 Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last part of the last alternate ending for this story! I hope you guys have enjoyed this as much as I have (now if you'll excuse me, I need to go figure out how to mark this one "Complete")!
> 
> As always, let me know if I made a typo or missed a word! Thank you all so much for your support of this story! Have a great rest of the year and happy holidays if you celebrate something around this time of year!

“PROMPTO!” I shrieked from the ladder to the roof of the train as Prompto fell off. He’d looked like Ardyn to me too—right up until Noctis knocked the gun out of his hand and pushed him off. Then the illusion shattered and I watched with my own two stupid eyes as my best friend and true love of my life fell off the top of a moving train.

Ardyn disappeared. But I could hear his growl from deep in my mind. I could guess why. He was angry that his plans to get rid of the healer failed. That I’d survived.

So he was trying to take Prompto from me.

Obviously, that wasn’t going to fly with me.

Still, tears of fear and pain fell from my eyes. Prompto fell. Was it even possible for him to survive that? We were going fast and he’d hit the ground hard…

I’d never felt fury so strongly before. Not even when I first found out Ardyn had cursed me and left the remnants of the curse to latch onto my best friend. I’d been angry then, but nothing like this. Nothing like watching the love of my life fall off a train.

“You’ll pay for that, Ardyn Lucis Caelum,” I hissed under my breath.

*****

“Gladio,” Ignis said as they went prowling around the bowels of the train. Noctis had gone warping around the airships and Aurora had gone with Prompto to the roof to help shoot them down. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What’s that?”

Ignis sighed. “I’m not going to be around much longer.”

“Iggy, if you’re trying to leave because you lost your sight—”

“No, no. Nothing of the sort.” Ignis shook his head. “I started dying before I lost my sight.”

“What do you mean?”

“Remember a few weeks ago when Aurora and Prompto were dying?”

“Yeah.”

“I have the same illness.”

“What, the flower thing?”

“Yes.”

“How did you get it?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s the reason I didn’t die when I put on the Ring of the Lucii to save Noctis. The Lucii wanted me to suffer and live because they knew it would be the heavier price to pay. Instead they simply stole my sight. Aurora’s found her happiness with Prompto. And well-met, to be sure. They were made for each other and I’m sure they’ll live long, happy lives together. She can’t be burdened knowing that I’m dying. It would break her heart. And she needs to focus on keeping Noct safe. She told me that she was cursed to die so no one would be able to keep Noct alive. That’s  _ her _ calling. She can’t know yet. But… once I’m gone, in a few weeks or months, I’m trusting you to tell her, for me, that I love her and bear her no ill will.”

“Ignis, I don’t think—”

“Gladio, please, I wouldn’t trust this to anyone else.”

Gladio sighed. “Alright. But I want you to know that I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Understood. And thank you.”

“Sure.”

*****

Noctis hauled me up the ladder, holding onto me on the rooftop. “Rory, I need you to focus,” he said roughly, fist clenched in my collar. I sniffed and wiped away a tear.

“I’m focused,” I said. “I’m good.”

“I know you’re in love with Prompto. I care about him too. But I need you to promise me that you’re not going to self-destruct, okay? We still need you. I do, Gladio does, and Ignis needs you more than  _ anyone _ right now. Promise me.”

I nodded. “Okay, okay. I promise.”

“Good. Now let’s make sure we defeat Ardyn once and for all.”

“Definitely. He’ll pay for this.”

“Oh yeah.” Noctis grabbed my hand to keep me steady on the roof of the train and we took off running.

I pretended I didn’t notice that Noctis was tearing up too at losing Prompto. We just had to pray he was okay and that we’d find him after we got back the Crystal. I squeezed Noctis’ hand a little tighter. We were both hurting but it was still my job as the healer to be the comforting one. I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to focus. Noctis needed me. Gladio needed me. Ignis needed me to keep him alive until he could figure out how to navigate the world in total darkness.

I could do this. Prompto wasn’t gone forever. He couldn’t be. Not after everything we’d been through.

*****

I sat on the train in a booth alone. I had no idea where the boys had gone off to. I tapped on the table with one fingernail and did my best not to tear up. I’d just gotten Prompto and suddenly I’d lost him.

“Aurora? May I trouble you for a moment?” Ignis’ voice asked from behind me. I jumped in surprise and turned to see him standing, slightly swaying with the train’s movement, alone in the aisle between tables. There weren’t too many other people in this particular car, and I hoped none of them would eavesdrop.

“Of course. I’m always here for you guys,” I said.

Ignis felt his way to the bench of the booth opposite me. He folded his hands on the table like a proper gentleman and turned his unseeing eyes toward me. “I’ve told you since I went blind that I can sense light, correct?”

“Yeah,” I replied hesitantly, unsure what he was getting at.

“Well, my senses are often thrown off because… well… I can sense light from you. And I don’t know if it’s just Noctis’ magic you borrow or what, because I don’t sense any from him—”

“It’s not,” I said. “Remember when I told you that my mother is an Auburnbrie?”

“I do.”

I nodded. “Don’t tell Noctis or Gladio, but the Auburnbries are a family of magic. Just like the Caelums and the Fleurets. We call ourselves Red Mages. We can use both Black and White Magic to much lesser extents than either of the Houses that use them to their fullest*. That’s why most of the Auburnbries are Hunters. It’s a solitary life but a dangerous one. The bloodline was tasked with hunting daemons by the Six. So that’s what most of us do with our magic. The world doesn’t know about our powers and we like to keep it that way, but since I’m a healer I use my White Magic—the magic of life and light—much more often than my Black Magic. I actually don’t borrow much magic from Noct. I have my own. But you can’t tell Noct and Gladio.”

“Not Prompto?” Ignis suggested.

I snorted. “Nah. Prompto has known for years. He’s not much of a secret keeper but he’s never told anyone mine. We trust each other too much.” I twisted my black leather bracelet around my right wrist. After  _ years _ of knowing Prompto was hiding something under the bands he wore on his right wrist, he’d finally shown me what was under it after surviving the Hanahaki together. A barcode tattoo. He didn’t know why he had it or where it came from, but he’d had it for as long as he could remember and his parents said he’d had it when they adopted him. He’d kept that secret from even me for many years. So I’d always trusted him to keep the secret of my powers from even Noctis. I still wore my leather bracelets in solidarity and support for Prompto and his secret. As his best friend and girlfriend. I wasn’t sure why I was trusting Ignis with my secret, but his ability to sense light kinda gave me away. So he was allowed to know.

I could have just said it was Noct’s magic that I borrowed, but he said he couldn’t sense light from Noct, so I told him.

“I swear to you, I will not tell them.”

“Thank you,” I said. I reached out and patted his hand. “You’re a great friend, Iggy. And… thanks for understanding all the weird stuff that went on with me and Prompto and the Hanahaki thing.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Ignis replied with a soft smile.

“I’m gonna go make sure Noct’s okay. He’s taking losing Prompto almost as hard as I am.” I cleared my throat and got up. “Want me to get you anything while I’m up? Coffee? Toffee? Something?”

Ignis chuckled. “No thank you, but I appreciate the offer, Aurora. Rory,” he corrected himself.

“Okay. I’ll be back later.”

“Alright.”

*****

Ignis sighed as Aurora broke into an all-out sprint to reach Prompto, strapped to a metal frame as Gladio described it, a quiet shriek escaping her throat. “Prom!” Her voice broke. Ignis coughed, tucking the petals into the pocket of his suit coat. Noctis was right by Aurora’s side, pulling at the straps in attempt to free Prompto.

Once they gave way, Prompto slumped to the ground. Aurora fell to her knees beside him, by the sound of it. They were probably holding each other.

“I thought I lost you… I thought I lost you…” she whispered.

Prompto chuckled weakly. “It’s not… that easy… to get rid of me…” he muttered.

Aurora laughed, voice breathy and thick with emotion.

“While this reunion is nice and all, we should get somewhere safe to regroup and recover,” Gladio said.

“There’re probably some barracks somewhere. For guards, right?” Aurora suggested.

“Yeah I think I passed some,” Noctis agreed. “When we were separated.”

“Let’s just find a place where I can look over Prompto’s injuries and patch him up. He looks pretty rough,” Aurora said.

“Good idea,” Ignis agreed. If anything, he could then find somewhere to dispose of the flower parts building up in his pockets. He wanted to get rid of them before they got to be difficult to hide.

“Here,” Noctis said softly. “Let me help you get Prompto somewhere to look at him.”

He was talking to Aurora. Ignis felt Gladio set a hand on his elbow to lead him out of wherever it was they were in the Keep. Possibly a chamber of sorts, possibly a corridor or an alcove. No one had told him any descriptions so he couldn’t quite imagine where they were. And Zegnautus Keep was so spacious and echoing that trying to figure out distance based on sound was nearly impossible.

For all of his skills, Ignis was not a  _ bat _ .

The group made their way through the Keep until they found several barracks full of bunk beds and devoid of everything else. Noctis and Aurora took Prompto into a more private area of the barracks so Aurora could conduct an exam. Ignis and Gladio stayed in the more open area and were quickly joined by Noctis, who sat down with a sigh.

“She’s gonna take a while. Prompto’s pretty banged up and she needs to heal him,” Noctis said. “We might as well try to catch some sleep while we can.”

Gladio grunted. “I’ll keep watch,” he said.

“Don’t bother,” Noct said. “We all need the sleep. ‘Sides, Rory will hear anyone coming in and alert us.” He climbed up onto a top bunk, threw an arm over his eyes, and immediately relaxed.

Gladio hummed in thought. “Well, I’m not gonna sleep, but I wouldn’t mind closing my eyes and resting for a bit.”

“I’ll keep my ears open,” Ignis said.

“‘Kay,” Gladio replied. There was a shuffling noise and Gladio’s weight disappeared from the bunk where they’d been waiting to hear about Prompto.

Ignis heard Gladio sigh and recline on one of the bunks nearby.

And Ignis allowed himself to feel his emotions deeply for the first time in a while.

Alone in his own mind, he didn’t want to admit some of his feelings, but he needed to acknowledge them.

The first being anger at himself. He was angry at himself for being slightly hopeful after Prompto fell off the train of possibly curing the Hanahaki. He knew he shouldn’t have felt that way—he cared about Prompto just as much as the others did—and he was angry at himself for letting his selfishness feel hopeful.

Aurora had changed her heart and was happier for it. That was the important thing.

*****

“Just lie down now for a little while and let your body rest,” I said after patching Prompto up as best I could with the supplies I had—we were running low—and slipping a little bit of subtle healing magic in along with it so he’d get better. I helped him lie back on the bottom bunk of a smaller, more private room and played with his hair until he drifted off.

Once he was snoring ever-so-lightly, I eased off the edge of the bunk bed and went back to the bigger barracks area.

Noct was asleep on a top bunk and Gladio was reclined on a bottom bunk across from Ignis, whose posture was relaxed but he was still sitting upright. “Iggy,” I admonished quietly. I saw Gladio peel one eye open, bounce an eyebrow, and go back to his relaxing.

Noctis didn’t move.

“Yes, Rory?”

“You should be resting.”

“I am.”

I sighed heavily. “You’re  _ willfully _ misunderstanding me. You should be getting some  _ sleep _ .”

Ignis reached out for me, a palm raised toward the ceiling. I put my hand on his. He squeezed my fingers. “You’re the one who should be getting sleep,” he said. “You’ve been running yourself ragged keeping up with us  _ and _ worrying about Prompto on double time. Go lie down. I’ll keep my ears open for guards or MTs.”

“I’m not going to sleep until you do. But if you refuse to… how about you let me look you over? Make sure you’re okay?”

“Very well. But after that you have to get some rest,” Ignis said.

“Nuh-uh. Other way around.”

“Aurora—you’ve spent  _ years _ taking care of us instead of yourself. I’m afraid I must insist that, for once in your life, you think of yourself first. If you  _ die _ from exhaustion so soon after just barely managing to survive a curse that would have killed you, I will come to the afterlife and lecture you for the next three-thousand years.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle softly as I pushed some stray hair out of my face. “Alright. But we’ll rest in shifts, okay? We really do need to take watch.”

“Understood. Now, give me your examination.”

“Come back where I examined Prompto. He’s asleep now and it’s easier in private.”

“Very well.”

I got up and helped Ignis stand without hitting his head on the bunk over the one he’d been sitting on. We went back to the secluded area of the barracks—officer’s quarters I was guessing. But, like,  _ lower-ranking _ officers.

After making sure Prompto was  _ definitely asleep _ , I helped Ignis sit on another lower bunk and perched across from him, leaning forward and putting my elbows on my knees, hands clasped between them. “So,” I began casually, but keeping my voice down so Gladio and Noctis wouldn’t hear, “when were you going to tell me you contracted Hanahaki?”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve been coughing a lot and being noticeably more reserved than usual,” I said. “I didn’t spend three weeks fighting to keep my affliction secret from you to just  _ not notice _ when someone else does the same thing. I know my stuff.”

“Aurora…”

“Was it Ardyn who cursed you?” I asked.

“Ardyn? Chancellor Izunia?”

“Yeah.”

“No…? As far as I’m aware, the chancellor can’t curse anyone.”

I pursed my lips and bounced my eyebrows, knowing full well Ignis couldn’t see the reaction. “Whatever you say,” I said. “But he’s the one who cursed me. The remnants of the curse were lingering around me and attached to Prompto. If you now have it, maybe the magic was hanging in the air when Prompto and I purged the flowers from our lungs.

“Now,” I continued, “I’m not going to ask you who the flowers and feelings are  _ for _ because that’s none of my business. But why didn’t you tell me sooner? I could have tried—”

“You know full well there is one surgery and one cure for this,” Ignis interrupted. “Anything you would have tried would never have worked. And I didn’t tell you for the same reason you didn’t tell me.”

“Meaning?”

“There’s no point in telling when there’s no way the subject of one’s feelings returns the sentiment.”

I sighed and popped my knuckles. More out of habit than anything else. “Iggy, if you don’t address this, you’re  _ going _ to die. And take it from me when I say that it is  _ not _ a pleasant death. It’s long, drawn-out, slow, and tortuous. Like, I  _ really _ would have rather fallen to an MT’s  _ bullet _ than be drowned in flowers. It  _ sucks _ . So, as your healer, I recommend you think long and hard about your path.”

“You assume I haven’t?”

“I assume everyone in this group would rather die to protect the others. Myself included. We’re loyal. We’re friends. Heck, we’re basically  _ family _ . But we can’t be so willing to protect the others that we cause our own destruction.”

Ignis sighed and pinched his nose under his tinted glasses. “You’re right, Aurora. About all of it. But mostly about one thing: it’s none of your business.”

I clenched my jaw. “Who your feelings are  _ for _ is none of my business. But your medical well-being absolutely  _ is _ ,” I snapped, losing my patience.

Prompto’s gentle snoring went silent for a moment before restarting.

“Look, apart from the disease and the blindness, you’re perfectly fine,” I said. “I just want to impress upon you the  _ gravity _ of the condition you have.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway. This—” Ignis put his fingertips on his chest. “—and  _ this—” _ He touched his sightless, scarred eye. “—are the price the Lucii made me pay to protect Noctis. And it’s a price I  _ will _ pay.”

I slouched. “After the fight with Leviathan, I tried everything to heal your eyes while you were unconscious. Nothing worked. It’s been very rare for me not to be able to fix someone. I’m not articulate enough to describe my discouragement in that moment. I thought I was failing as a healer again—so soon after failing to heal Prompto of the Hanahaki. I didn’t realize the injuries to your eyes were dealt by the Lucii.” I thought for a moment. “Did they give you the Hanahaki?”

Ignis thought for a moment, like he was deciding what to tell me. “They did,” he said. “Said they’d been inspired by recent events. And that they wanted me to suffer and live instead of pay the price with my life right then. They wanted me to live to the end of Noctis’ journey so that I might protect him before sacrificing myself.”

I bit my lip. “I’ve never heard of Hanahaki Disease being contracted by something other than unrequited love but… when powerful magical entities are involved, I guess it really doesn’t matter.”

“Indeed not,” Ignis agreed.

After a moment, I sighed. “Okay. Go get some rest. Keep your ears open for any ambushes. Wake me up when it’s my turn to take watch.”

“Very well.” Ignis got to his feet and used his cane to head back to the open area of the barracks. I went to the bunk next to Prompto’s and flopped across it to close my eyes for a minute. Hopefully I’d feel better by the time it was my turn to take watch.

The relief at having Prompto back made my muscles relax for the first time in days, finally allowing me a peaceful sleep.

*****

“You lied to Rory,” Gladio commented casually.

“Better not to burden her conscience. When I’m gone she’ll be the one taking the best care of Noctis. Not to say you and Prompto won’t, but it is literally her job to keep him away from Death’s door. And that’s right where he should be— _ away from Death’s door _ .”

Gladio chuckled. “I gotcha. Still, kinda funny she noticed you’re dying of the same thing she and Prompto were dying of.”

“Of course she would. She’s likely the smartest one here,” Ignis said. “I have a lot of knowledge in my head, but she does as well, and I believe hers is deeper than any of mine.”

“You’re just sayin’ that because you’ve finally fallen for her—after she became unavailable.”

Ignis shrugged. “We always want what we cannot have. That’s what makes us human.”

Gladio grunted in assent. “Mm. Catch some Z’s, Iggy. I’ll keep watch for a while.”

Ignis sighed, “Alright.”

*****

By the time Ignis, Gladio, Prompto, and I made it to the Crystal, Noctis was gone. Ardyn was standing there with the most wicked smile on his face. I grabbed Prompto’s hand and squeezed as he raised his handgun and, with a loud  _ Bang! _ , shot Ardyn in the face. The man hit the ground.

After a moment, he stood up once again, scooping up his hat.

He peered at me and Prompto, glaring angrily. The black ectoplasm and gold eyes that I thought I’d seen when I was low on oxygen late at night were back. But this time I  _ knew _ I wasn’t seeing things.

Prompto’s hand clenched around mine.

Ardyn gave a sweeping flourish to Ignis—despite the fact that he  _ knew _ Ignis couldn’t  _ see _ him—and strode out. He paused at the door. “My irritation at seeing you alive, Little Healer, pales in comparison to my pleasure of knowing my plan is falling into place,” he said. I moved to follow after him, but Prompto’s grip on my hand tightened.

“Don’t. He’s baiting you,” Prompto said softly.

“Prom, that’s the guy who tried to kill us,” I hissed.

“Yeah, and if you go after him now, he’ll succeed.” Prompto pulled me back as Ardyn walked out.

“Listen to him, Aurora,” Ignis put in. “Now we ought to focus on getting the Crystal out of here.”

“The four of us?” I asked.

“We’re not going to be strong enough. That thing is heavy—and nearly as tall as Rory!” Prompto put in. “We won’t be able to carry it!”

“We have to try,” Gladio said.

I looked around. “It’s attached to chains,” I said. “We might be able to… if it’s attached to pulleys…”

“C’mon,” Prompto said, “you and me will look around for pulleys.”

He took my hand and together we edged around the Crystal. It was on a single metal walkway suspended in thin air. The chamber around us was misty and difficult to see through. Heck, I couldn’t even see the ceiling where the chains dangled from. “It’d be a bad idea to try and climb the chains,” I said upon noticing the contemplative look on Prompto’s face.

“Oh I agree,” Prompto said. “But we still gotta find a way to get this home.”

“Do we?” I asked. “The Emperor is dead. So is Ravus. And Chief Besithia. And that one military dude Ignis killed in Altissia  _ with  _ Ravus. Ardyn… I don’t even know what his deal is, but he’s not going to run the Empire. All the big leagues except Ardyn are gone… the Empire’s going to crumble. We might be able to come get this… later.”

We made our way back to Gladio and Ignis as I talked.

Neither of them looked anything other than concerned.

“Find anything?” Gladio asked.

“Nothing that would help us get this thing down or pulleyed across the Keep to some form of transport,” I replied.

Gladio summoned his greatsword and approached the Crystal. “A’right. Let’s just cut it down. Prompto, help me balance on the railing.”

“We barely survived getting here. I doubt we’ll survive making our way back the way we came. The daemons are too powerful here,” Ignis pointed out. I pointed at him while looking at Gladio.

“He’s got a point,” I said.

“Where would we even put it? Angelgarde?” Prompto asked.

“The throne room of Insomnia. It’ll be wrecked after the attack and no one would get close.”

I sighed and set a hand on Ignis’ shoulder. “Guess we’ll have to try,” I said. “I’d rather not leave it here.”

“Very well. Here.” Ignis handed me a magic ball with a slight blue glow. “Throw this at one of the chains. Gladio, cut where the ice crusts over. Freezing the metal may make it weaker and easier to break.” I took the ice magic ball from Ignis’ hand and moved closer to the chains.

“Here goes nothing.”

*****

Ignis didn’t have long. He knew he didn’t. His lungs felt clogged. His throat occasionally fluttered with petals. Aurora still had no idea the flowers were for her, and Ignis had no intentions of telling her. Perhaps when he was on his last breath.

The light had disappeared with Noctis and the sun hadn’t risen in months. Ignis knew because people told him—and because he never sensed the sunlight. Or its heat. The only lights left were the man-made ones. Lestallum had become the only real haven for people fleeing from the daemons that invaded everywhere else.

Aurora’s light was still there. She’d taken up a position in Lestallum running a healing ward for daemon hunters. Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis spent most of their time hunting separately in the territory around Lestallum, keeping the daemons at bay for the safety of the refugees. Aurora kept trying to keep Ignis from hunting for his own safety, but he refused to listen. He was dying anyway. He’d rather go out in a fight than suffocating.

Besides, she joined them on hunts when she was dying too. She had no room to talk.

He acknowledged that while she was dying she hadn’t also been  _ blind; _ but he argued that made him even more adept at fighting in the darkness.

Aurora begrudgingly allowed him to hunt after that.

Still, he took injuries he could have easily avoided because it gave him an excuse to visit her. Prompto was often with her whenever he visited her infirmary, so he rarely got the chance to speak with her alone. Ignis didn’t mind. He’d rather her be happy. She always personally tended to his injuries—along with Gladio and Prompto’s too. If she was working on someone else, she’d pass off that person to another healer and come handle any of her friends’ injuries. When Ignis asked if that was a conflict of interest, she just scoffed and said she’d rather handle her friends’ injuries since she knew the three of them better than any other patient.

“Iggy? You here? I got your voicemail,” Aurora called as the door to Ignis’ small apartment—that he rarely used—opened.

“Yes. Aurora. You’re right on time,” Ignis said.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, voice getting nearer and light getting brighter in Ignis’ senses. “I would have picked up your call but I was in the middle of an exam.”

“No, no. I understand. I didn’t mean to drag you away from your work. I thought you would come at the end of your shift.”

“You sounded stressed so I had Miranda cover my shift. I’m taking up hers later tonight. Prompto’s gone for a couple days so I just work as much as I can so I don’t think about how worried I am about him. And you. And sometimes Gladio. But mostly you two.”

“Why do you worry about Prompto and I more than Gladiolus?” Ignis asked.

Aurora laughed. “Because Prompto’s not just my boyfriend—he’s also my  _ best _ friend; and no offense but you’re blind and dying of the same disease Prompto and I almost died of. Honestly I’m more concerned about the Hanahaki than the blindness at this point,” she said. He could hear her bustling around his apartment, gathering things that Ignis had forgotten and putting things where they belonged.

“Speaking of the Hanahaki: I don’t have much longer,” Ignis said. “This previous hunt was my last. I wanted—”

“Would you like to come with me to the infirmary? I could give you a sedative to ease your passing—”

“No. It’s alright. I’d rather die here than in a cold infirmary surrounded by strangers,” Ignis said. “No one besides you and Gladio need to know why I died.”

“Wait you told Gladio?” she asked.

“Yes,” Ignis said. “In case I died unexpectedly. That was before you figured out what my affliction was.” He paused. Aurora’s cleaning noises stopped and he could feel her light only feet from him. Her hand rested on his shoulder.

“Iggy…”

“That’s why I wanted you to come visit here. I wanted to say my goodbyes since I’m going to die.”

“This isn’t fair,” Aurora said. “You shouldn’t have to leave us.”

“Says the woman who would have literally died before telling us she was dying,” Ignis said. “At least I’m saying proper goodbyes.”

Aurora was silent before heaving a sigh. “Touché,” she said.

Ignis reached out toward her. After a moment, she took his hands with hers. “Aurora, you are an incredible woman,” he said. “A smart, gifted healer, and above all, a good friend. A kind friend. I’ve never met another person quite like you. Prompto is a very lucky man to have gained you as a partner. And I am sorry that I didn’t see your feelings for me sooner.” He paused for a moment. “Not that I ever would have deserved you.”

Aurora breathed out a laugh. “Don’t say that, Iggy. I liked you for a reason. Quite a few, actually. You’re smart, responsible, strong, caring. And it’s not your fault you never noticed before I fell for Prompto. It was a silly childish crush.”

“Apparently not if it brought down a disease like Hanahaki on you.” He cleared his throat and tucked the daffodil petals into his pocket.

“We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. You’re the one who’s dying here,” Aurora said. “I… it just frustrates me that this is the price the Lucii would have chosen for you. Like, was your sight not enough? They have to make you  _ die _ too?” He heard her hum in thought. “Just seems like a lot.”

“I suppose so,” Ignis said.

“You  _ suppose? _ Don’t you think this is unjust?”

“No. They wanted me to live long enough to protect Noct in order to fulfill his calling. Reaching the Crystal has done that.”

“Yeah but you didn’t tell  _ him _ that you have this disease. When he comes back—”

“Well, as the healer, you’re used to breaking hard news to people. I shall trust you to inform him of my fate. Though Gladio is also apprised of the situation and could take up that position as well, should you feel incapable of telling Noctis.”

“I can tell him; it’s just… it sucks that I  _ have _ to. That  _ anyone _ has to. That we have to lose you.”

“You’ll manage. You have Prompto,” Ignis said. “He’ll support you through it.”

Aurora sighed. “Yeah but… we all still care about and love you, Ignis. We’ll be devastated to lose you.”

“You asked me once if I would cry for you should you die before your time. I answered that I would. Now I ask you the same question. When I’m gone, will you cry?” Ignis asked, voice quiet, almost like he didn’t actually want to ask her the question, but couldn’t stop himself.

Her hands, warm and dry from constant washing as a healer, squeezed his. “Of course I will, Iggy. At the end of the day, you’re still one of my closest friends. Our friendship has meant a lot to me over the years.”

“To me as well, Aurora.” He thought for a moment. “Aurora Lux Aubade. Soon to be the most renowned healer in all of Eos.”

“Thanks,” she muttered. She squeezed his hands again. “I’m gonna miss you, Iggy.”

“Well, the ones we love never truly leave us so long as we keep their memories alive in our hearts. Try not to die soon, but I shall be looking forward to seeing you again in the afterlife too. All of you.”

He felt Aurora’s lips press against his forehead. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

“As am I. But we do what we must for the people we love.”

The moment she left, Ignis choked on the daffodils in his throat.

*****

“Rory?” Gladio asked quietly as I closed Ignis’ eyes. He was stiff on his bed in his apartment. It appeared he’d gone in peace, but not in sleep. The bed was covered in flowers, but I hadn’t taken stock of what kind or color they were. “You don’t have to do this. You’re a healer—not a mortician.”

“I’ve done post-mortem work since the daylight disappeared,” I said stiffly.

Prompto had left the room to compose himself. I desperately wanted to go cry into his chest, but I had a duty to Ignis. To take care of his body and make sure it was buried deep enough that the Starscourge wouldn’t take him and daemonify him. I wouldn’t be able to bear such a thing.

“Aurora,” Gladio said seriously. He hadn’t used such a grave tone since we lost Noctis to the Crystal. Much less used my full first name. I looked up from where I was clearing the flowers from Ignis’ bed to meet his eyes. They were devoid of their usual glint of mischief.

“What?” I asked. “What is it?”

“Back when we were on that train, making our way to Gralea, Iggy and I had a talk while you and Prompto and Noctis were taking out the airships.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He, uh… he wanted me to tell you, when he was gone, that…” Gladio cleared his throat. He scooped up a flower and showed it to me. “That he loved you and bore you no ill will.”

My brain had to pause for several long moments to process both Gladio’s words and the flower in his hands.

A white daffodil.

Just like the ones Prompto coughed up for weeks.

“That lying—” I cut myself off. Were he still alive I would have slapped Ignis for lying to me. “He said the Lucii gave him the disease to make him suffer as payment.”

“No. He told me he got it before he put the ring on, but the Lucii let him live  _ because _ he already had it. Because it was the steeper price to pay. He really did love you, Aurora.”

I took the daffodil head from Gladio’s hand and looked at all the ones I’d cleared off the bed and onto the floor. I gathered several of them up and shredded them all in my hands out of frustration. “Why did he lie to me?”

“He bore you no ill will. He told me you and Prompto were made for each other and he hoped you’d live long and happy lives together, but he didn’t want to burden you with the knowledge of why he was  _ really _ dying. He wanted you to stay focused on Noctis and keeping him alive.”

Some of his last words came back to me.  _ We do what we must for the people we love _ . I’d assumed at the time he was talking about suffering through Hanahaki Disease for the sake of protecting Noctis in Altissia.

Apparently I was wrong.

Cradling Ignis’ still face between my hands, I let tears fall from my eyes and pressed my lips to his forehead. “You’re such an idiot, Ignis Stupeo Scientia,” I whispered.

Letting him go—both physically and emotionally—I got up from my place kneeling next to the bed and left his bedroom.

I went right to Prompto. He opened his arms to me, as he had on so many different occasions, and held me as I cried.

“It’s gonna be alright, Rory,” Prompto whispered, stroking my hair. “We’re all gonna miss him.”

“It’s… it’s my fault,” I said, voice thick with tears.

“What are you talking about?” Prompto asked, kissing my forehead.

I explained what Gladio told me. And what Ignis himself told me about, regarding the Lucii. My fists clenched and unclenched in the back of Prompto’s vest. He just held me tightly.

“Sweetheart, I’m gonna tell you something: it’s not your fault. Just like it wasn’t your fault when  _ I _ had Hanahaki. You owed his feelings nothing. Just like you owed mine nothing. I just got lucky. Him falling for you after you were cured was  _ not _ your fault. It was just bad luck that it didn’t happen a few weeks earlier. Then maybe it would have just been me who died.”

“Don’t you dare. I can’t even  _ imagine _ this world without you in  _ any _ way, shape, or form,” I said.

“And I can’t imagine it without you. We just got lucky. Iggy… didn’t,” Prompto said.

“I… I just feel…”

“I know. But he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. He said himself he wanted you and me to live a long and happy life together. Which, I’ll have you know, I fully intend to do for as long as you’ll let me.”

I reached up and wiped the tears off his face. He did the same to me.

“I don’t want to live without you, ever, Prom,” I said. “But I’m gonna miss him.”

“We all will. You’re gonna be the only one corralling us now. You’re not going to have a good cop and a bad cop anymore. Just one.”

“Then you and Gladio better listen to me when I say something’s a bad idea.”

Prompto chuckled. “Yes ma’am,” he said.

I tilted up onto my tiptoes. He leaned down just enough to meet me. We shared a brief kiss.

“C’mon,” I muttered. “We better go help Gladio. We’ve got a funeral to plan. I… I actually don’t know if he even has any family. He… literally never mentioned his personal life to me.”

“Me neither. We’ll figure it out. Together. Like always.”

“Yeah. Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The idea for the Auburnbrie magic came from the following videos:  
> https://youtu.be/EeA6kj6S6FU  
> Obviously Episode Ardyn moots some of the points in this video but it’s still an idea I really like; and Red Mages as a concept are cool for the narrative of FFXV in general but I had the idea of Rory being an Auburnbrie and having minor powers of her own in the back of my head the whole time but didn’t want to bloat the main story with it (or realize halfway through that there was an easy way out of the disease) so I just left it as a side idea that I still like to consider canon to her character but didn’t want to fully include.   
> https://youtu.be/lrOqzvKFzC0  
> This just kinda bolsters the idea and all in all this is where I got the idea of Red Mages from and why I specifically made a point to point out that Rory is an Auburnbrie in blood if not name. (Also another video of this guy’s pointed out that Aranea’s zipper charm in Ep. Prompto has a red gem on it AND the runes on the vault doors glow red, kinda reaffirming the idea. Cut to 10:55 of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBVF66hvklw&t=589s)


	23. Original One-Shot: Blood-Stained Petals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, one last update. The true last update. This is the original one-shot I wrote that inspired this whole story. Technically it's unfinished because I decided to rewrite it and make it into a long-form, multi-chapter fic before I could finish the one-shot, but this was it! (Also yeah, it's not particularly good but that was the other reason I switched up how I was going to tackle this story's idea)

“No offense, but I would  _ literally _ rather die than tell Ignis how I feel about him,” I said to Prompto.

Who looked confused, raising his camera. “How come?” he asked. “Turn your nose slightly towards me. Theeere you gooo…” He snapped a picture of me posing on the balcony overlooking Lestallum.

“Because he’s  _ Ignis _ ,” I answered. “Like, he’s  _ Mr _ . Professional. I’ve never met a person more stoic and reserved than he is.”

“You haven’t had the absolute terror of seeing him uninhibited,” Prompto remarked. “He’s scary when he’s not holding back.”

“That’s not the point, Prompto.”

“What  _ is _ the point, then?”

“Ignis doesn’t like me. I’m the intruder—not trustworthy.” I shook my head and rested my forehead on my arms where they were folded on the balcony railing. “So of course I fell head-over-heels for him. I’m  _ such _ an  _ idiot _ .”

“You’re not an idiot. And you’re not an intruder. Iggy may seem suspicious but I’m certain he doesn’t hate you.”

“Mm,” I grunted.

“If you’re in love with him, I think you should say something.”

“I just told you I’d literally rather die than do that. Ignis doesn’t have emotions. No way he’d ever like me back. Ever.”

“You don’t know that,” Prompto said.

“Hmm.”

Before Prompto or I could say anything else, my throat tickled—and then scratched. I coughed, covering my mouth with my elbow. When I pulled my arm away, something was clinging to the sleeve of my jacket. Prompto noticed it too. “What’s that?”

I plucked it off. “A… flower petal,” I said. A yellow one.

“Huh. Musta blown up from the street,” Prompto remarked.

“Must have,” I agreed. Below us there were lots of flowers. Lestallum seemed to enjoy gardening.

We finished our little aesthetic photoshoot alone on the balcony and went back into the hotel room. Before I left the balcony I dropped the petal over the edge, watching it drift down to the street below.

Prompto didn’t notice that there weren’t any yellow flowers on the street we were on. He hadn’t felt the soft piece of the plant come out of my mouth as I coughed.

I swore internally.

Hanahaki Disease.

Looks like the Six had a sense of humor—I _was_ literally going to die rather than tell Ignis how I felt about him.

*****

The next morning I woke up to a full-bodied yellow rose head on my pillow.

Crap. Roses had thorns. As if the rumors about how I would die from Hanahaki weren’t painful enough—choking to death on flowers—I would also have scarred lungs from the thorns.

Evidence of that was the bloodstains on the petals.

I slipped out of bed and crushed the flower in my hands before dropping crumbled petals over the side of the balcony, letting them scatter on the wind.

“Enjoying the sunrise?” a voice asked from behind me.

“You’re up early, Ignis,” I said as the balcony door slid shut behind him. He leaned against the railing next to me.

“As are you.” He glanced at me. “Prompto mentioned last night that you’re under the impression that I hate you.”

“For the record, I never said ‘hate’,” I corrected. “I know you don’t trust me and see me as an intruder.”

“To the contrary. You are nothing of the sort. I apologize for seeming suspicious but it  _ is _ my duty to keep Noctis safe. And you  _ did _ spring from nowhere.”

“Hmph,” I grunted. I coughed again, this time covering my mouth with my hand to catch the petals and dump them before Ignis could notice. When the coughing fit eased out, I wheezed. I could already feel the effects of the disease in my lungs. It was already harder to breathe. I was supposed to have a couple weeks, but the symptoms certainly manifested themselves fast.

“Something wrong?” Ignis asked. “You look distressed.”

“Do you know anything about flower language?”

“Some. I have a cousin who is a florist. She hates flower language and rants about it all the time—about the fact that perceived meanings of flowers don’t actually matter when it comes to making a bouquet for someone you want to give flowers to. Why?”

“No reason. My dreams last night were filled with yellow roses and I was wondering if the Six were sending me some sort of omen.”

What a blatant lie. I wondered if he’d pick up on that.

He didn’t seem to. “Yellow roses have a variety of meanings. Most commonly associated with friendship. Other meanings include a broken heart, intense emotion, and even undying love.”

“Thank you, Wikipedia Scientia.”

That made Ignis smirk. “Yellow roses are a particular favorite of mine. I believe they hold an understated beauty. Not as obvious and grand as red or pink roses but beautiful in their simplicity,” he explained. His response made so much sense. Hanahaki was rumored to grow the favorite flower of the target of one’s feelings.

“Perhaps if your dream was a vision from the Six, the ‘extreme betrayal’ or ‘apology’ meanings would be more appropriate,” Ignis added.

I coughed again. Several bloodstained petals landed in my hand. I scrunched them up in my palm and shoved them into my pocket since Ignis was looking at me. I wheezed again, thankful I wasn’t allergic to flowers because that would make all this that much worse.

“Maybe,” I agreed. “I should, uh, go inside. Pack up.” I ducked back into the room before Ignis could say anything.

Inside, he couldn’t talk to me without waking up the others so he didn’t try. I set about packing up the things we’d brought in while he started to make a simple breakfast.

*****

“You’re not doin’ too good these past couple days,” Prompto remarked after a particularly long fight was over. I was on my hands and knees on the ground, wheezing and completely unable to get enough oxygen. I panted hard and shook my head.

“Nope,” I said.

I got up and stumbled away from the group until I was out of sight. I spat out a wad of mucus mixed with blood and flower petals. I coughed up at least two rose heads before destroying them all under my boot heel and stomping back to the others. “What’s up with you?” Noctis asked as we wove through the woods to get back to the car.

“Nothing,” I said, taking my water bottle out of my backpack and downing half of it in a few seconds, trying to ease my scratchy throat.

“Well there’s blood on your lips so you should rethink that answer,” Ignis remarked.

“Buzz off,” I spat at them. Despite the fact that I was struggling to breathe, I broke out into a run and left them all behind. I made it back to the Regalia first, spat out some more flowers where the boys wouldn’t see with more irritation than wistfulness, and plopped down in my spot. I cleaned the blood from my lips.

I managed to stop panting by the time they caught up.

“What aren’t you telling us, kiddo?” Gladio asked as he sat next to me.

“None of your business.”

*****

The next few weeks were increasingly torturous. I couldn’t keep up on hunts anymore and barely slept. Whenever I did I woke up with several bloodstained rose heads sitting on my sleeping bag. Sometimes instead of flowers and petals all I coughed up was blood. I could feel the thorns scratching my lungs sometimes after particularly strenuous activities—like running for most of the night.

I managed to hide the disease from the boys, mostly by hiding the flowers and cleaning blood from my mouth whenever I had moments alone. I was fairly certain my jacket pockets were irrevocably stained with blood from shoving the stained petals into said pockets before anyone could see.

One day we were out camping and I couldn’t breathe very well. Even getting out of my sleeping bag sent me into a fit of panting and coughing.

This was going to be my last day—I was sure of it.

It was also the day the boys found out.

I was awake first but the effort it took to get up just about took me down again. The coughing sent five  _ huge _ rose heads the color of sunshine and dotted with wet red onto the floor of the tent.

Ignis was a light sleeper. Anything louder than a quiet speaking voice would snap him to attention immediately. My coughs weren’t quiet. I was hacking up a lung—or, more accurately, the flowers growing  _ in _ my lungs—and it was loud. It didn’t surprise me when he sat up in his sleeping bag.

“What’s the matt—oh my word,” he said. He scrambled to get out of his sleeping bag and helped me outside onto a camp chair.

I couldn’t speak. Just weakly patted his shoulder.

Ignis woke up the others. Vaguely I could hear him telling the others what was wrong with me. I heard Prompto gasp and Gladio and Noctis making noises of confusion. I couldn’t breathe very well. Coughing made me pant.

While Ignis talked, I filled my lap with bloodstained yellow roses, leaned against the back of the chair. When I wiped my mouth on my arm, it left a streak of blood on my skin.

Prompto appeared at my side. “Why didn’t you tell us before?!” he demanded.

“I…  _ told _ … you…” I rasped. “Literally… rather… die…”

“Ignis, she’s in love with  _ you _ ,” Prompto said. “You said Hanahaki comes from unrequited love. She told me in Lestallum a few weeks ago that she’d rather die than tell you how she feels because she thinks you don’t trust her and don’t have emotions. That she hates that she’s in love with you.”

While Prompto told Ignis everything—even though I tried to stop him by weakly slapping his arm with the back of my hand in protest—I coughed out more rose heads. These ones were more red than yellow, the petals soaked and gleaming in the dawn’s pale light. The thorns scratching the walls of my lungs sent fire through my entire body.

“Ignis, she’s drowning in flowers! She’s dying! What do we do?!” Prompto demanded.

“Hanahaki can only go away by two means: the love being returned or a surgery to remove the flowers,” Ignis said. “The surgery also removes the feelings.” He paused. “However, with Insomnia gone, there is no hospital in Lucis equipped for a procedure like this—even if there were, we’ve found out too late. She’s past the point of surgery. The roots are too deep.” Ignis knelt on my other side, gathering my hand in both of his. “ _ Why _ did you keep this to yourself?”

“Buzz… off…” I coughed again, spewing out petals and flowers that burned on their way up. I could barely breathe. My breath shuddered in my throat and came in shallow wheezes. “Hate… that I… love you…”

I could hear Prompto pleading with me to stay with them, repeating my name over and over. But it sounded farther away—and the distance was increasing.

My hand was let go and the flowers were cleared from my lap. I was pulled off the camp chair and into someone’s lap. I couldn’t tell if it was Ignis’ or Prompto’s. Someone was cradling my head and neck in an elbow like they would a baby. Someone—maybe the same person, maybe not—was crying.

In what little brain space I had left, I predicted the crier was Prompto.

Something warm splashed onto my face and rolled down. It wasn’t my tear, but it mixed with mine.

“Don’t leave us. Don’t leave  _ me _ ,” a voice begged. “I  _ love _ you.”

There was a flare of pain in my lungs and I found the energy to cough again.

To cough and keep coughing.

Flowers, petals, stems, and thorns were all expelled from my lungs. At the end came the roots. My throat and lungs were bleeding. Someone else tipped what tasted like a potion down my throat.

I gasped and took the deepest breath I’d been able to take for weeks, panting as I finally felt oxygen flood my system.

Ignis was holding me to his chest. His face had tear tracks on it. He gasped in surprise when he saw I was looking at him with clarity. “You’re alive! You’re okay!”

“For now, sorta,” I said. “Lungs and throat still gotta heal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah. If it feels incomplete that's because it is. I abandoned the one-shot for the multichapter. Because this became "Dahlias and Daffodils." I was writing this one-shot and thought, "Ooh. Prompto's being really sweet on her. What if I made it so he fell in love with her while taking care of her while she was sick? Oh! And then maybe he catches it too?" aaaaand the long story happened.
> 
> Happy Holidays! Much love to everyone who's read this and enjoyed it, left kudos, commented, etc.! I appreciate all the support you've given me!

**Author's Note:**

> Shout-out to @welovegroot on Tumblr for being my beta reader!


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